


Return of Love

by justmagicalgirls



Category: Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch
Genre: AU, Angst, Coco should have had more screentime, Coming of Age, F/F, Gen, Sara should have lived, also Coco and Noel should have had image songs, also the fish are mega gay, basically everyone not named Lucia or Hanon got done dirty by the anime, so that's why they're not here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:21:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 30,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23676046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justmagicalgirls/pseuds/justmagicalgirls
Summary: AU. Before Sara can release Panthalassa, Coco steals her pearl and offers it to Aqua Regina, asking for Sara to be released from her duties and have a new princess of the Indian Ocean be born. However, Sara flees before Coco can tell her, and Seira is born without her knowledge. After an attempt on Coco's life and her pearl is stolen, Coco and Seira must hide in the human world while they both struggle to grow up. Meanwhile, Caren struggles to come to terms with the loss of her country and her sister to Panthalassa.
Relationships: Coco/Sara, Rina/Noel
Kudos: 5





	1. Prologue 1, Coco

"Everything's gone, Coco!! It's all gone!! And it's all my fault!!" Sara sobbed, into my bed. She'd arrived about 15 minutes ago and had immediately thrown herself onto my bed and began to cry. I had no idea what was wrong, but it broke my heart seeing her like this. Maybe it was that one human she was seeing, Tarou. I wonder if he said something bad to her, or he broke up with her, or something.

  
I swam over and sat next to her on the bed. "Sara, what's going on? What's wrong? You just showed up with no explanation and started crying," I asked, gently. "Did someone hurt you? Do I have to go fight another deep sea fish pervert who was spying on you?"

  
She looked up at me, eyes filled with tears. "It's gone," she whispered, "The Indian Ocean is gone, my relationship is over, everything's just RUINED!" She started to sob louder.

  
Not knowing what else to do, I started stroking her hair gently. Clearly she and Tarou had broken up, and Sara thought it was the end of the world. It appeared as though the job of comforting her fell to me, which I didn't mind. I loved spending time with Sara. We were childhood friends, since our castles were so close. Lately, she'd been more unpredictable due to her relationship with Tarou. I'd had a bad feeling about the whole thing, that it would end badly, and it looks like my feelings ended up being correct. Not that Tarou was a bad guy, of course. I'd seen him once, from a distance. He seemed sweet enough. Just, those two weren't meant for each other.

  
"So, I'm assuming you and Tarou broke up?" I asked, which was a massive mistake. She started crying harder.

  
"He left me!! My servant told him never to see me again because I was a princess, that I was 'too important' for him, so he LEFT!! I LOVED him, Coco! And there she is, telling him to get lost because I'm 'too important?' I couldn't stand it," she sobbed. "We were going to run away together, have a life together! All of it's gone now!!" Sara looked up at me, tears & snot running down her face. She was a mess. "I don't even have a kingdom to go back to! It's been destroyed!!"

  
I gasped. "The Indian Ocean kingdom is destroyed? How?"

  
Sara looked down again. "I-I destroyed it. My-my pearl went out of control when I realized what happened with Tarou." She opened her necklace and showed me the orange pearl, still shining brightly from her extreme mood swings. "It created a tsunami and it wrecked everything in the kingdom. It even got the edges of the North Pacific, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was here too. Some princess I am, destroying my whole kingdom."

  
Not knowing what else to do, I pulled Sara into a hug. "It's going to be okay, Sara," I said, softly. She sniffled, but I continued, "Countries can always be rebuilt, but you can't recover from the shock of losing a leader very well. But you're here, and you're physically fine. I can lend you the support of the South Pacific mermaids in rebuilding efforts, and I'm sure if you ask Caren in the Antarctic or Lucia in the North Pacific, they would help too." I smiled at her. "And screw Tarou for dumping you. It's going to be okay. We'll get through this, together!"

  
"Together," Sara said, softly, "Thank you, Coco." Her tears weren't stopping, though. She squeezed me tightly & then let go. "If you don't mind, would I be able to spend the night here? As I don't have a home..."

  
"Of course!" I began, excitedly. Sara, having a sleepover? It was just like when we were younger! "We'll have one of the spare rooms fixed up for you in no time-"

  
"If it's okay, can I stay in your room?" Sara cut me off. Her cheeks seemed pinker than usual, was she blushing? "I'm, uh, worried about nightmares. I've been having a lot lately..."

  
"Y-yeah, that's no problem! I'll keep you safe from all the nightmares!" I blurted out. Poor Sara, having nightmares. I wonder if they were about Tarou? Or, was it something else, related to the bad feelings I've been having lately...

  
"Thank you, Coco," Sara hugged me again. She fell over onto the bed and just curled into a ball, still sniffling, but not crying anymore at least. That was a good sign.

  
"Make yourself at home, I feel tired myself so we might as well both turn in for the night," I said. I swam across the room and threw Sara an extra pair of pajamas. After several minutes, she rolled over and grabbed them. She got up to change, but then saw herself in the mirror and burst into fresh tears.

  
"I look like this?? Have I looked like this all day? A blotchy, tear-stained mess?" she burst out, hiding her face in her hands.

  
"I-uh-yeah-kinda," I stammered. What else was I supposed to say?

  
"Stupid Tarou!!" she sobbed again, sinking to the ground. "I look like this because of him!!"

  
I sighed. "Sara, just forego the pajamas. You should go to sleep. You'll feel better in the morning. Crying tires you out and there's no way you'll feel better tonight." I swam over to her and helped her get up. She sniffled and I wiped away a few stray tears falling from her eyes. She started towards the bed, and so did I.

  
We laid down together on my seashell bed, staring through the clear roof of my castle. Sometimes on clear nights you could see the murky images of stars shining on the surface of the sea, but tonight was stormy. We watched the waves roll and lightning flashes from deep below the sea.

  
"Sometimes I wish I wasn't a mermaid princess," Sara whispered softly, after we'd laid there watching the storm for a while. "The surface is so pretty, and I could be with Tarou. If I could leave the Indian Ocean in someone else's hands, I would go in a heartbeat." Her eyes seemed to reflect both the storm above and the storm of emotions within her.

  
"Mmm, I'd miss you. You're my best friend," I mumbled, half asleep. Yet, somehow, I had a weird feeling deep inside of me. Almost like, I wouldn't be seeing her for much longer.

  
She laughed, softly. "I'd miss you too, Coco." With that, we both closed our eyes and soon drifted off to sleep.

  
_Tsunamis raged over the seas. A dark castle seemed to be rising from the depths, causing even more distress in the water. I was standing on the shore of land, somewhere. All around me, everything seemed to be shattering. A man's evil laughter rang out, and it seemed to be coming from the castle. It gave me chills._

  
_"Coco!" I heard an unfamiliar voice cry. I looked around for the source, but couldn't find anyone. "Coco!" It called again, more urgently._

  
_"Who are you? Where are you?" I cried. "What's happening?"_

  
_"Co-" the voice began again, before it was abruptly silenced. It sounded like it came from the water, so I ran towards it. I was a mermaid, I couldn't die in a tsunami. I dove in, swimming furiously, before I gasped. In front of me was a man with grey hair, holding a struggling orange mermaid. Not just any orange mermaid, but an orange mermaid princess! Except, it wasn't Sara? She seemed younger, probably about 8 years old..._

  
_The man laughed, and I realized he was the source of the evil laughter. "Soon," he cackled. "Soon you'll meet your end, in your own country, too." The mermaid princess in his grip struggled to get free, and elbowed him in the chest. He let go and she suddenly swam towards me, saying, "Help me, Coco! I can save you and Sara!" She launched herself into my arms, and the man's laugh was suddenly joined by a new one. A woman's laugh._

  
_"What a pair, a yellow and an orange mermaid! Doomed, just as Coco and I were!" came the woman's voice from behind me. I spun around and gasped. The woman looked just like Sara, but with dark hair! No, it was her, but... older? She looked like she was in her 20s, rather than 14._

  
_"Sara?" I cried, "Is that you?"_

  
_"Silence, yellow mermaid! Suffer the same fate as your ruler, 8 years ago!" the woman exclaimed. It was definitely Sara's voice. She opened her mouth and began to sing, and the words stung. I felt nothing but sadness in the song._

  
_"WAKE UP!!" cried the mermaid in my arms. "OTHERWISE I WON'T EXIST!!"_

  
_Huh?_

I shot up, wide awake in bed. I was in a cold sweat. I'd never had a nightmare as dark or vivid as that. I wonder, was that one of the nightmares Sara mentioned? I turned to her, but she was still asleep. She was in rough shape herself, though. She was softly crying in her sleep.

  
"Tarou..." she whispered. Tears silently fell down her face. I debated waking her, but decided against it. She'd been through enough.

  
But, who was that orange mermaid princess in my dream? It wasn't Sara, clearly. Something bad had happened to both Sara and myself. I hoped with all my heart that it wasn't a premonition, but my gut was telling me otherwise. Sara hadn't recognized me either, saying I was just a yellow mermaid. A yellow and an orange mermaid... I was stumped. Perhaps I was watching a vision of the future through my successor, if I had suffered a terrible fate like Sara implied? Which would make the orange mermaid princess Sara's successor! That would make sense, considering-

  
"Sometimes I wish I wasn't a mermaid princess," Sara's voice echoed in my mind. Of course, it had to be her successor! I looked over at her. She was still crying in her sleep, and now she was hugging one of my pillows. She whispered Tarou's name again, and it seemed to make her cry harder.

  
I sighed. She was a wreck in this state. Maybe it would be best to grant her wish of no longer being a princess. There was clearly already a successor. "Otherwise I won't exist," had been her words. Does that mean I should call upon Aqua Regina now? It almost seemed like it. Sara was clearly suffering and had already destroyed the kingdom. She didn't seem like she was in the right state to go and fix everything immediately.

  
I leaned over her, making sure she was deep asleep. She didn't wake when I lightly tapped her shoulder. Carefully, I reached for her winged shell necklace, opened it, and carefully removed the orange pearl sitting within it. I held it in my hand for a second, admiring it. It may have caused a destructive tsunami that destroyed a whole kingdom, but it was still pretty.

  
Sara then rolled over, startling me. "Come back, Tarou! I want to be with you," she cried. In that moment, I knew what had to be done. I had to let her be free.

  
"I'll miss you," I whispered softly, caressing her hair. "But it seems to be for the best." And with that, I got up and left the room.

  
I swam down to the main throne room, where the fountain was. In two years, when I turn 13, I would do my coming of age ceremony here. It was the place where we could be closest to Aqua Regina, a place of life and rebirth. No one was around to see me there, as it was the middle of the night. I placed both Sara's pearl and my own into the fountain and quietly prayed to Aqua Regina.

  
"Please, Aqua Regina. Sara is suffering and doesn't want to be a mermaid princess anymore. I fear she may make more bad decisions in the future, further jeopardizing the Indian Ocean kingdom, and perhaps even the ocean world as a whole. Allow her to be released from her duties, and let the Indian Ocean have a new princess." I spoke, softly, staring at the ground. After a few moments, I looked up, but nothing had happened. I frowned, and added "Pretty please? She's my friend, and I hate seeing her like this." The two pearls then started glowing. Wow, I couldn't believe that actually worked! However, Aqua Regina didn't appear. Instead, I heard her voice in my ear:

  
South Pacific Mermaid Princess Coco, your concern for your dear friend and fellow princess Sara has moved me. I cannot appear to you now, as you have not yet reached the age of 13, but I will grant your wish. Safeguard the Orange Pearl in Sara's place as to prevent more disasters, and her successor, Seira, will be born soon. Beware, Coco, I feel an ancient evil growing in power, and I believe your nightmare tonight reflects a future that may be. Take great caution in safeguarding both your own pearl and the Orange Pearl.

  
She then vanished, and both pearls stopped glowing. I opened my necklace, and noticed that the slot for my pearl had become bigger, allowing me to put the orange one in first, then my yellow one. I swore there that I would let nothing come of either pearl, no matter what.

  
However, it was getting late. It felt like most of my strength was gone after calling on Aqua Regina, and I should go back to bed. Hopefully Sara felt more at peace and had stopped crying. At the very least, being a regular mermaid, with a pearl nowhere near the power of a princess' pearl, should control any destruction she may inadvertently cause through her emotions.

  
I sleepily swam through the castle, my eyelids getting heavier as I approached my room. I let out a huge yawn and entered my room. I got under the covers of my bed, mumbled another good night to Sara and fell back into sleep. 


	2. Prologue 2, Coco

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I sincerely apologize for the 9 month delay in update,,, life hit me hard in 2020. However, I am doing my best and my goal is to finish this story by the end of the year!

Something was shining directly into my eyes. I could tell, even though my eyes were still closed. Maybe the storms had stopped on the surface above, and the sun was finally shining! A good omen, in light of everything worrying in my dreams and in the Indian Ocean. I opened my eyes to see the sun, high above the water's surface. It lit up the yellows of my palace's walls and furniture, making them shine a deep gold color. I loved waking up to this. 

I yawned and sat up. "Good morning, Sara!" I said, cheerily, turning to her. Only, she wasn't there? Maybe she got an early start on breakfast, or maybe I just slept in. The sun did look pretty high in the sky, it was probably pretty late in the morning. Whoops. Time to get up! 

I got ready in a hurry and zoomed to the main room of my place. "Good morning!" I announced. 

"Good afternoon, Coco-sama," one of my servants said, dryly. "You and Sara-sama really slept in today." Afternoon? Whoops. Guess I did sleep in pretty late. 

I laughed, "Yeah, I must have been pretty tired. Has Sara already had breakfast, or perhaps lunch at this point?" 

She frowned, "I thought Sara was still upstairs, with you?" 

"No, she wasn't there. I assumed she had come downstairs for breakfast already?" I said, beginning to feel worried. 

"No, none of us have seen Sara. We all assumed she was with you. Perhaps she's gone back to the Indian Ocean?" my servant asked. 

"Uh oh..." I muttered, turning away. This was bad. Sara didn't know about her not being a princess anymore, and if she had left...

I quickly grabbed a snack from the food set out for breakfast, or lunch, whichever was closer, and swam back to my room. How could she have left without saying goodbye? It stung a little, but I was too worried about what she might do to dwell on how much it hurt. 

Back in my room, I noticed that Sara had left my borrowed pajamas folded neatly on the desk. So she really had gone. Ouch. I needed to catch up with her and tell her the news, that she could leave the ocean and be with Tarou with no consequences. Wait, she had left a note on the pajamas! It said: 

Dear Coco,

By the time you'll be reading this, I assume I'll be long gone. I tried waking you to say goodbye, but you're fast asleep at the moment. You may wonder where I've gone. I can assure you, I haven't gone back to the Indian Ocean. My home there is gone, some princess I am. Rather, I've gone to the depths of the ocean, where nothing will remind me of the human world or Tarou. Perhaps I will find peace there. Thank you for everything you've done, and for being my best friend for many years. Goodbye, Coco. Love, your friend Sara.

Oh boy, this was far worse than expected. The depths of the ocean? So many scary things lurked there! Not to mention, the evils that Aqua Regina sealed away all those years ago. I had to go after her, to tell her she could go live on the surface if she wanted to. Who knows how far she had gotten already, but I had to catch up to her. I gathered my things, informed a few servants that I would be going out and I wouldn't be sure when I was coming back, and set off. They seemed confused, but understanding, and waved to me as I left. 

All too soon, the shining yellow palace was out of my view. I didn't know which way Sara had gone, so my best bet was to simply go into the deepest part of the sea and start looking there. I swam down, down, down, until you could barely see any light filtering down from above. I'd never been this deep, and it was nerve-wracking. The fish were almost leering at me as I passed; it made my scales crawl. Why on earth would Sara want to be down here? The pressures seemed to be building as I went deeper, and a chill ran through my body. Bad things definitely were hiding down here. 

Something was shining up ahead, on what looked like the ocean floor. No, shining wasn't the right word. Almost like, the opposite of shining. If light shined from something, this would be like... darkness... darkening from something? I stopped to take a look from a distance, and another chill went through me. Alarm bells were ringing in the back of my mind. Something there was very wrong, and my brain was screaming at me to run away. 

I was ready to turn away, when I saw a couple creatures floating near a gate. Neither of them were facing me; all I could see was their backs. One of them had grey hair, and the other had jet black hair. The grey-haired one looked like a human, but the black-haired one was a mermaid. She looked almost exactly like Sara, but with a black tail and hair. I'd never heard of a dark mermaid before. Was she some kind of deep sea creature? A mermaid who didn't belong to a country? I'd heard tales of rogue mermaids who'd sworn off allegiance to countries and lived on their own, sometimes losing their colorings if they angered their former leaders enough to smite them from their kingdoms, but- 

Just then, the dark mermaid turned towards me. I saw a flash of orange and gasped. She had orange eyes, and I knew those eyes! At least, I think I did. 

"Sara!" I yelled, starting to swim again. The current seemed to be fighting me, keeping me away from the scary, shrouded in darkness place. "Is that you?" 

The mermaid turned away for a split second and said something to the humanoid man. A dry smile crossed his face and suddenly the current seemed to change direction, pushing me towards the scary place. Wait a minute, this was the man from my nightmare last night! And Sara looked the same way she did in my dream as well! The alarm bells in the back of my head were ringing at full blast now, but I ignored them. I had to see what had happened to Sara... if that was actually her. 

As I got closer, I realized that it was a castle at the center of the scary darkness. It seemed to be hidden behind a gate, which from the looks of it, had just opened. The whole thing seemed terrifying, and hopefully I could just grab Sara and go. 

"Hello, Coco," the dark mermaid said. It was Sara's voice! "So nice of you to join us, today." She extended a hand to me, and I grabbed it as the current deposited me in front of the two of them. 

"Sara?" I squeaked, looking at her. "You look... different?" Had I done this? Was this a result of the wish I made, to relieve her of her Mermaid Princess duties? No, it couldn't be! She should have just remained an orange mermaid, albeit an ordinary one. I think there was precedent for princesses stepping down... I internally cursed myself for not paying attention in lessons. I needed to study more. 

She laughed, but it wasn't the soft laugh I was used to. This one was rough, coarse, almost evil. "Oh, silly Coco. I did this myself." 

"What, with squid ink? How'd you do that to your tail too?" I asked. 

She smiled and patted my head. A patronizing gesture, it seemed like. "No, Coco. I hate to break the news to you like this, but unfortunately you and I are no longer alike. I've turned my back on the human world, and I no longer have any plans to fulfill my duties as a Mermaid Princess." 

I paused. Did she know what I had done? Had Aqua Regina already informed her in her sleep? She couldn't have, Sara's orange winged shell necklace was still around her neck. Along with her eyes, it was the only orange thing remaining on her. If she knew she wasn't a princess, then... 

"Why are you still wearing your shell necklace then, if you're not a princess anymore?" I asked. "Shouldn't you give it up so the next princess can be bo-" 

"No!" Sara cut me off. "You misunderstood me." She leaned in close, clutching my arm. Her fingernails dug into my skin. "I am the Indian Ocean Princess. And I will be the LAST Indian Ocean Princess. That country does not exist anymore, and will never exist again. Aqua Regina has failed me in my time of need, and I have turned my back on everything the mermaids and foolish humans stand for. The hate I feel towards the human world is all I need to live, and it has reflected in my appearance." 

This was bad. All this was happening and yet she wasn't even a princess anymore! "Sara-" I began. 

She interrupted me, "Coco, I know you don't pay attention like you should in lessons, but do you know of the Panthalassa clan?" 

Oh no. That's why the castle seemed slightly familiar. Now that she mentioned the name, my tutor's voice rang in my head, telling me the dark history of Panthalassa and their battle with Aqua Regina. 

I managed to squeak out a, "Yes, but, Sara, we should-" while trying to back away. Sara's grip tightened on my arm, hurting me a little bit. 

"You see, Coco, this is Gaito. He's one of the last descendants of the Panthalassa clan," she gestured at the gray-haired man, who had up until this point simply been watching us. He leered at me, and I wanted to swim away as fast as possible. Sara continued, "I freed him today because quite simply, Aqua Regina fed us lies! She's not fit to be the ruler of the ocean, and we should restore Panthalassa to their rightful place. Then, Gaito can take care of those pesky humans for us." 

"Sara, that's all wrong! That's not what Aqua Regina's about! In fact, she-" 

"Oh? And what does the little 11 year old princess know about Aqua Regina?" the man laughed, speaking for the first time. His voice was the same terrifying tone that I had heard in my nightmare, and my blood turned to ice. He moved closer to me, and I struggled to get out of Sara's grip, to get further away from him. He leered down at me. "You've never even met her." 

I stared him directly in the eyes. "You don't know that," I said, trying to seem confident. It didn't work, though. I heard my voice tremble. 

He simply laughed and responded, "No, but she does." Sara simply smirked in response. 

I glanced at her with wide eyes filled with fear, pleading for her to let go, then struggling to break her grip. I should have taken an escort, or someone else from the palace. I shouldn't have come here alone looking for her. Although, this isn't what I expected to find. 

The man continued, "Although, even though you yourself may not be powerful, that pearl that you hold is." He was directly in front of me, staring directly at my yellow winged shell necklace. "And now, I'm offering you a chance, South Pacific Mermaid Princess Coco. Join us, and give us the powers contained in your yellow pearl to allow us to dethrone Aqua Regina, or else..." 

"...Or else what?" I squeaked. 

"Or else your country meets the same fate as mine," Sara said, calmly. Her nails were definitely going to leave a mark on my arm. "And I don't think you want to see your precious South Pacific a ruined wasteland. So, give us the pearl, and surrender yourself, or-" 

I tuned her out. This wasn't happening. I felt like I was going to throw up. How could I choose between giving up my pearl, the protector of my country, or letting it be destroyed. Sara wouldn't destroy it... but the man surely would. Maybe it would be best to give up. I couldn't do that to the innocent mermaids of my country! I'm sure the other mermaid princesses would-

"No!" a voice rang in my ears. "Remember you have my pearl too!" Seira! Oh no, I had completely forgotten I had the orange pearl too... I couldn't give up both. 

"Tick tock, princess," Gaito said. "We're waiting. What will it be, surrender or the destruction of your country?" 

I gulped. I knew what I had to do. Aqua Regina help me, but more importantly, help the mermaids of my country flee. 

"Sorry, you're not getting my pearl today," I said, somehow finding my voice. I tried to yank my arm out of Sara's grip one more time, and failed once more. 

"Why, you-" Gaito and Sara said, in unison. I didn't care. 

"Sorry, Sara," I said, giving her a weak smile. She looked extremely cross, but the look was immediately wiped off her face when I swung a punch at her. Almost immediately, she let go of me in self defense. I missed, but I had accomplished my goal of getting free. I immediately began swimming away from the castle, going upwards so the current wouldn't catch me and drag me back. 

I refused to look back, knowing it would only slow me down. I didn't want to imagine the look on Sara's face, or the thought of the man potentially gaining on me. 

Darts of ice suddenly hit the water around me. I screamed and dodged them, looking back for a split second. An older lady seemed to be chasing me, hurling ice darts at me. She wasn't a mermaid, though, she seemed humanoid. 

"I'll take you back to Gaito-sama!" she cried. Good lord, there were more of them. I was swimming as fast as I could, and luckily I seemed to be beating her. I thanked my lucky stars that she wasn't a mermaid. My tail clearly has the advantage over her stick human legs. 

Soon, I was out of the ocean trench the castle had been in. I murmured a silent prayer to Aqua Regina that I could make it back to my kingdom in time to warn everyone. After all, a country can be rebuilt, so long as I have my pearl. Without it... I didn't want to think about that possibility. 

~~~

The shining golden aura of my kingdom was coming into view. I was exhausted from swimming full speed from the bottom of the ocean, but I had to keep going. I charged through the entrance to the capitol, sped past the main square, and finally zoomed to a halt in the main hall of my castle. 

"Coco-sama?" one of my attendants asked. "Is everything alright?" 

I steeled myself, ready to give my horrible announcement. "No," I said, loudly. My voice rang off the walls. "We're going to be under attack. We must flee for now." Gasps rang around the hall. Some of my servants shared shocked glances and disbelief seemed to hang in the air. I continued, "Panthalassa has been freed. They threatened me, telling me to surrender and give them the Yellow Pearl or face the destruction of my ocean. As you can see, I'm right here in front of you. Now, we must flee before they destroy us along with the country!" 

The hall was silent. Everyone was in shock, then suddenly it burst into noise as they began to panic. My attendant, who had entered the great hall unnoticed by me, grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the fray. 

"Where are we going?" I asked, as she swam down the corridor, pulling me with her. 

"We're instituting the emergency plan. It's not ideal, since you haven't even turned 13 or had your coming of age ceremony yet, but you must go live on the surface as a human," she said, calmly. 

"What? The surface? But- I'm-" 

"Hush! I know! But it's the only place Panthalassa can't find you," she shuddered. "I remember how ruthless they were before. They'll round up all the mermaids they can find and imprison them. They'll do horrible things to them. We were lucky when Aqua Regina, bless her soul, gave up her life to be the permanent protector of the ocean, to ensure this wouldn't happen again. Nonetheless, we still kept our emergency plans. And it's a good thing we did." 

The weight of everything I had been through today fully hit me. Tears welled up in my eyes. I'd been betrayed by my best friend, almost imprisoned at the bottom of the ocean in a dark, grimy castle, and now my country was going to be destroyed while I fled to land. I sniffled, and tears started falling down my face. 

My attendant noticed, and stopped. We were in the main room of the palace, next to the great fountain. We both sat down on the edge of it, ignoring the chaos around us as everyone hurriedly packed and fled. It was hard to believe that less than a day ago, I'd been here in this exact spot, asking Aqua Regina to save Sara. It was all too much for me to handle. 

"Coco, honey, come here," my attendant said, wrapping me in a hug. It felt warm and soft, like her hugs always did. It only served to make me cry more. 

"Sara-" I gasped, between sobs. "Sara- she-" 

"Let it out," she said quietly. "What happened to Sara? Did Panthalassa get her? 

"She-she- was the one who released- them," I sobbed. "Sh-she was going to let them take me. All because of this!" I opened my necklace and pulled out the Yellow Pearl. I sobbed, "Th-they wanted it. They said-they said if I didn't give them the pearl, they would destroy-" 

I never got to finish my sentence. A deafening crack rang through the air, and icicles formed on the ceiling. No! They couldn't be here already! My attendant reached for my hand, ready to start swimming again, but we never got the chance. A massive chunk of the ceiling dislodged itself, and went hurtling towards the ground. 

"NO!" I heard my attendant scream. The last thing I saw was her hurtling towards me as the chunk of the ceiling fell towards me. My last act was to throw the pearl towards her, hoping she'd catch it and keep it safe. Whether she did or not, I wouldn't know, as everything went dark immediately afterward. 

~~~

Something bright was shining in my eyes. I could tell, even though my eyes were closed. Oh stars, I was dead. I'd gone to meet Aqua Regina before I'd ever got to meet her in life. What a turn of events. Coco, the South Pacific Mermaid Princess, dead at age 11. 

My eyes felt like they had been cemented shut. I tried to move my arm, and a wave of extreme pain shot through me. Wait, pain? Should I be feeling pain in the afterlife? Slowly, I managed to pry an eye open, and saw nothing but orange light. It was too bright to handle. 

Suddenly, a face was several inches from mine. "Coco!" I heard. This was all too much. I closed my eye and drifted off to another nightmare. 

_The South Pacific palace walls were crumbling everywhere. Yellow mermaids were fleeing in droves, only to be caught in traps Panthalassa had set up. They were to be sent directly to the dungeons of his castle. Gaito and three of his Dark Lovers watched the scene, cackling with glee._

_Meanwhile in the castle, Sara and the fourth Dark Lover dealt with the last threat remaining in the South Pacific. As the ceiling crashed onto Coco, she fell backwards into the great fountain of the South Pacific. Immediately, the glow of the Yellow Pearl faded. Her attendant caught the pearl, and realized that she'd have to keep it safe for another South Pacific princess. She murmured a faint goodbye to Coco, swearing to uphold her memory, and gather the other princesses to stop Panthalassa. No sooner had she turned to run though, was she stopped by none other than Sara._

_The attendant, heeding Coco's warning, immediately backed away from her, only to be caught in an ice trap laid by the blonde, ice-throwing Dark Lover, Maria. Maria demanded the attendant hand over the pearl, or else she meet the same fate as her princess. Sara, who hadn't noticed Coco until then, let out a strangled gasp when she noticed Coco's crushed body in the fountain._

_The attendant refused to give it to them, but Sara's emotions once again got the best of her. Her pure sadness and anger caused her to transform into Black Pearl Voice for the first time, and her song caused the attendant to fall unconscious. Sara grabbed the Yellow Pearl from her hands and clutched it to her chest. Her emotions, still out of control, caused a massive tidal wave not unlike the one she had created in her own country. Maria, realizing the country was going to be destroyed, slung the unconscious attendant onto her back and retreated._

_The tidal waves of Sara's emotions crashed onto the South Pacific castle. The Yellow Pearl glowed strongly with Sara's emotions, and it gave her the strength to pick the rubble off Coco. Gently, she picked Coco's dead body up and held her in her arms. She began to swim away as the final remnants of the castle began to cave in from the onslaught of waves._

_Sara swam away, away, away, until she had reached another graveyard of a country; her own. Swallowing back more emotions, she made her way to her own ruined castle and found the great Indian Ocean fountain. Despite the destruction around it, the fountain seemed to work perfectly fine. She gently laid Coco to rest in the fountain, murmuring a goodbye before she was suddenly wracked with sobs. Clutching the Yellow Pearl in her hands, she turned away and departed for Gaito's castle, never planning to leave its gates ever again._

_Coco lay in that fountain for what seemed like hours before an orange glow surrounded her. Her yellow shell necklace opened, and the Orange Pearl rose out of it. Slowly, the form of a young orange mermaid emerged from the pearl, until she fully emerged. She took a moment, marveling at her physical form and moving her limbs, before noticing Coco's body in the fountain. She gasped, and immediately placed the Orange Pearl on Coco's chest._

_An orange light surrounded them both, and Coco seemed to stir slightly-_

"Mermaid Princess Coco," I heard, breaking me out of the dream. Pain shot through my body, but I pried both eyes open and attempted to sit up. My elbows slipped, though. Before I could fall backwards and hit my head, someone caught me. 

"Hi, Coco! Look, I've been born!" The young orange mermaid said, brightly. It was Seira! 

"Hi, Seira," I said weakly. My attention was drawn upwards though, to a new shining light. This one was more of a pure, holy light. I gasped. Inside of it was Aqua Regina! 

Aqua Regina looked at me with a glance of pity. She pointed her staff at me, and a bubble of magic came at me. Almost immediately, my pain dulled. It was still noticeable, but not fully. She began to speak, 

"South Pacific Mermaid Princess Coco, your country and pearl have been lost to the forces of Panthalassa. I am breaking tradition to appear to you now, because these are such troubling times. I showed you the vision of what happened while you were dead, so you would know what you are up against." 

"I was dead?" I asked, in shock. 

Aqua Regina nodded. "The ceiling crushed you, and even the healing waters of your own great fountain were not enough to save you. The power of Seira's pearl left over after her birth was what helped bring you back." I glanced at Seira, who smiled at me. I grabbed her arm and pulled her into a hug, wincing a little bit as she hugged me back tightly. 

"Now, you two princesses face a difficult decision. Panthalassa is not aware of Sara's claim to the Indian Ocean throne being lost, of Seira's existence, or that you are alive, Coco. Under different circumstances, I would encourage you to find the other princesses and team up with them to get the Yellow Pearl back and restore peace. However... the other princesses are simply too young. Mermaid Princess Coco, you are now the oldest, and yet you are not even of proper age to learn how to use your powers even if you had your pearl. Once word gets out of you two, Panthalassa will attack again, and I fear they would gain control over all seven countries." 

"What do we do then?" Seira asked. "Can I learn how to use my powers early?" 

Aqua Regina frowned. "It's rarely been done, a Mermaid Princess using their powers before age thirteen. Additionally, an attack on Panthalassa's castle by just you two will not end well." She shook her head. "The safest place for you princesses would be the surface world. Indian Ocean Mermaid Princess Seira, I hereby give you permission to attempt to use your powers before the age of thirteen, to protect the seven seas." 

With this, she waved her staff upwards. She, Seira, and I rose through the ocean, away from the wreckage of the Indian Ocean castle. We stopped just short of the surface, where a small houseboat appeared. 

"With this boat as your home, you will still be free to travel the seven seas. Be warned, however, Panthalassa will still be looking for yellow and orange mermaids to capture. It would be best to hide your necklace, Coco, and Seira's pearl, and stay away from the ocean world until the other princesses are of age unless completely necessary. Now, I must go-" 

"Wait!" I cried. Aqua Regina frowned at me. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. Just, how long will it be before the other princesses are of age?" 

Aqua Regina sighed, "Unfortunately, it will be seven years. North Atlantic Mermaid Princess Rina is the next youngest, after Seira. She has just begun to age, meaning she is about six years old now. Now, I must go. I wish you princesses luck, and I will see you in seven years." With that, she vanished, leaving me in shock. 

"Seven years," I mumbled. Tears welled up in my eyes again. "Seven years." 

"It's going to be okay, Coco. You should sleep, you've been through a lot," Seira said, tugging me upwards into the boat. I barely processed what she said as we jumped onto the deck of the boat. Seira used her pearl to give herself a human form, with brown eyes, auburn hair, and with approximately the appearance of a human 5 year old. She nudged me, and I did the same with the magic of my shell necklace, giving myself blonde hair in a haircut exactly like my mermaid form, albeit shorter and lighter blonde, brown eyes, and the appearance of a human teenager. 

"You look exactly like your mermaid form," Seira said, dryly. "Panthalassa is going to know exactly who you are." 

"No, they won't," I said, numbly. I removed the necklace that had been around my neck for eleven years. "A Mermaid Princess is never seen without her winged shell necklace. Besides, South Pacific Princess Coco is dead, and Panthalassa isn't going to let another princess be born." 

With that, I walked into the boat. I spotted a waterproof cabinet and gently placed my necklace inside. Seira followed me, and quietly dropped the Orange Pearl in the same drawer, and I shut it. 

The drawer remained shut for the next seven years.


	3. 7 Years Later, Coco

The autumn sun cast its rays over our boat, turning it into a beacon of white in the choppy blue ocean. We were anchored somewhere in the Northern Hemisphere, but I wasn't sure where. I'd look at the maps later. A chilly breeze whistled through my hair as I leaned on the top deck, watching the waves. I shivered, missing the immunity to chill that I'd had as a mermaid. Seven years had passed since I'd been below them, with a mermaid's tail instead of human legs. I missed it more than I could put into words. There were times where I'd wanted to put my shell necklace back on and dive into the waves, but I stopped myself every time. What if Panthalassa saw me? My heart hurt for the mermaids of my country, trapped in the dungeons of Panthalassa's castle, but in the end I ultimately couldn't do anything. Not until Seira and I met up with the other five princesses. They had all come of age by now, I believed. Rina of the North Atlantic was the youngest, but her birthday was sometime in the spring. Wait, no, autumn... I think. Whatever September was in the Northern Hemisphere. I cursed the difference in hemispheres.  
  
Metallic clangs rang off the ladder to the top deck suddenly. I didn't turn away from the sea, knowing it was simply Seira coming to watch the ocean with me. She gave a quiet hello and handed a jacket to me. I greeted her back and put the jacket on, relishing the protection against the cold. I could sense she was worried; whether about me being cold or the choppy North Atlantic, I wasn't sure. We stood together, leaning against the railing, simply watching the waves in silence. They were choppier than they usually were, despite there not being a cloud in sight. I hoped that wasn't a sign.  
  
"Do you think there's a storm in the Arctic?" Seira broke the silence. "The waves are choppier coming from the north, but calm down as they head south."  
  
"Perhaps," I said, quietly. "Last I checked the maps, though, we weren't too far from the Arctic. We would see a storm raging there if there was one big enough to affect the waves here." The waves themselves didn't seem choppy from a storm, either way. It looked like the waves that came from the instability of a ruined mermaid country. Like the waves that crashed over the South Pacific and Indian Oceans currently. I said a silent prayer to Aqua Regina that it was simply me being pessimistic, and that the Arctic Ocean kingdom was okay. My heart couldn't take the thought of another country being like Seira's and mine, or Noel having to face the wrath of Panthalassa alone.  
  
"Should we pay a visit to the Arctic kingdom?" Seira asked. "Just to make sure they're okay?" Her brown eyes surveyed the ocean, and her brow furrowed in thought. I both pitied and envied her, in a way. She had barely been a mermaid princess before getting dragged out of the ocean world with me. She'd been born into the ruins of a kingdom, and was unable to do anything about it from the surface world. I wondered if she missed being a mermaid at all, or if her time as a mermaid was too short for her to even remember.  
  
"First, we should visit the North Atlantic, and make sure Rina has come of age. I don't remember exactly what day in September her birthday is," I said. "We don't want to show up early, running the risk of Panthalassa getting the news of there still being seven princesses."  
  
"Would they attack the North Atlantic then?" Seira asked.  
  
"Probably," I said. "That's two easy pearls for them to capture."  
  
She pouted and crossed her arms. "Hey! I can put up a fight! They're not getting my pearl easily!" She flexed her biceps, trying to appear threatening. It just made me giggle, which in turn made her crack up. "Hey! I mean it!" she said, between giggles. She grew serious and solemnly said, "I mean it, Coco. They're not getting my pearl without a fight from me. And I'll defend you too! I can sing and keep both of us from harm!"  
  
I laughed. Out of all the people to be stuck on a boat with for seven years, I'm glad it was her. We'd become extremely close, and I personally saw her as a younger sister. However, she hadn't ever had to face Panthalassa or her predecessor. She may have seen what they were capable of in my own country, but she'd never come face to face with them like I had. If anything, I'd have to be the one to protect her when we had to face them. I was the one who knew how to transform into the idol form in theory, and the one who knew the powerful songs designed to keep evil at bay. I'd tried to teach her, but she had issues transforming, and couldn't keep the songs memorized. She'd come up with a couple of her own songs, but couldn't use them as a weapon until she could transform. I wished I had the creativity to come up with my own song. Although, I'm sure mine wouldn't be happy. It would be a sad song about my ruined country, or... her. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Even thinking of her betrayal hurt my heart.  
  
"We should go figure out where in the world we are," I said. "Make sure that we are, in fact, close to the North Atlantic castle."  
  
Seira beamed. "Way ahead of you, Coco! I already figured out where we are! We're a ways off the coast of Iceland, according to our human maps. Not sure where the North Atlantic castle is, though."  
  
Iceland? That meant we weren't far from the border of the Arctic as well. It wasn't quite winter yet, if we made our stop in the North Atlantic quick, we could make it though the Arctic before it froze to check on Noel.  
  
"Which way is due north, Seira?" I asked. She pointed to the direction where the choppiest waves were coming from. My heart sank. Best case scenario, it was an early winter storm. Worst case scenario... I didn't want to think about that.  
  
"Right, well, let's go get ready," I said, starting to walk towards the ladder. My heart pounded in my chest. Seven years was a long time to not be myself.  
  
"Ready for what?" she asked.  
  
I glanced at her, questioningly. "To go visit the North Atlantic kingdom, and make sure Rina has turned thirteen?" I swear, sometimes Seira was a little bit of an airhead. Her eyes widened as she realized she had completely forgotten, and apologized. I waved it off and started to climb down the ladder. She followed, and we both went inside, away from the chill of outside.  
  
Seira's pearl and my yellow winged shell necklace were covered with a thick layer of dust inside the drawer. The consequences of not being disturbed for a long time, I suppose. Seira eagerly grabbed the Orange Pearl out of the drawer. It raised a significant cloud of dust, and we both sneezed. She ran to the kitchen and grabbed a clean cloth to start shining it with.  
  
I apprenhensively eyed my necklace laying in the drawer. I knew it would be fine, Panthalassa couldn't find me just by me putting my necklace alone, but my heart refused to calm down. My palms grew sweaty, and I had a vivid flashback of Gaito demanding I give myself up at the bottom of the ocean. I felt seasick for the first time in years.  
  
I ran to the kitchen and hurled into the sink. Seira watched me, in shock, as I emptied the contents of my stomach into the sink. I burst into tears.  
  
"Coco?" she said, softly. "Everything okay?"  
  
"I-I can't," I whispered. "I'm too scared to go down there again. I'm fine now, but what if they see me wh-when I'm down there? And th-they'll know I'm alive- and they'll come after me again- and-" Tears fell down my cheeks. Some mermaid I was, scared to return to the water. Seira set down her pearl and wrapped her arms around me comfortingly. It served to make me cry more. I felt like I was eleven again, sobbing in my attendant's arms as the palace walls shook around us. Oh stars, I hope she was okay. She was probably with the other South Pacific mermaids, trapped in that horrible castle. They all believed I was dead, I'm sure of it. And yet here I was, alive and well, too scared to return to the ocean.  
  
"You don't have to go back if you don't want to," Seira said, quietly. "If you point me in the direction of the castle, I can make it there myself and check everything's safe. If I run into trouble, I have my pearl. I'll bring Rina back with me to the boat too, and we can all go to her castle together."  
  
I sniffled. I had to pull myself together. "As nice as that sounds, I need to go with you. You don't know the songs and can't transform. Besides, I owe it to the mermaids of my country to give them a little hope." I smiled, wiping away tears. "Maybe Panthalassa knowing I'm alive won't be such a horrible thing, if it can give them hope again."  
  
Seira let go of me. "As I offered before, I can fight them with my pearl, too." she said, winking.  
  
I sighed. "You should stay out of it. Don't let them know that Sara has no claim to the Orange Pearl unless we absolutely have to." She started to protest, but I shook my head. "You're our hidden trick up our sleeves. Don't ruin it unless it's a dire situation."  
  
She pouted and crossed her arms again. I had to stay on my toes, I knew if I even seemed to be in danger for a second she'd try to transform and save me. Seira didn't have the winged shell necklace that revealed her as a princess, so as long as she didn't shout 'Orange Pearl Voice' and try to transform, she would be fine. That reminded me, I had to give her the necklace I had kept to hold her pearl in, as a substitute until she could get the real necklace.  
  
I told her to wait there and went to my room. I rummaged around in a couple drawers, cursing my messy tendencies and habit of collecting shells. Finally, I found it buried under a pile of shells from my ocean. I ran out to the kitchen, hiding the necklace behind my back.  
  
"I have a present for you," I said. Seira perked up. "I found this a while back, and I've been saving it for when we finally returned to the sea." A twinge of sadness went through me, but I ignored it and continued, "Open your hands." She did, and I dropped the necklace into them. Her eyes went huge as she examined the necklace. I had managed to find an ordinary orange mermaid's shell necklace while on land, and immediately purchased it for Seira. That way, she'd simply pass for an ordinary orange mermaid.  
  
Her hands closed around the necklace, and a look of fleeting sadness crossed her face. "Where did you get this?" she asked, with a strange tone in her voice.  
  
"At a market somewhere on land, why?"  
  
She shook her head. "Nothing, it's just..." She hesitated. Her fingers ran along the shell pendant.  
  
"What?" I asked.  
  
"Did you look closely at the pendant?" Seira said, finally. I shook my head. I hadn't wanted to hold it for long. I knew it might show the memories of the mermaid who it belonged to, and I couldn't stomach the thought of watching an innocent orange mermaid meeting a horrible fate. Silently, she showed the pendant to me, and how the sides were damaged in two spots. It looked like something had been ripped off.  
  
Seira went back into the other room, and I followed her. She picked up my necklace from the drawer, and compared the two. I gasped. The necklace I had given Seira looked exactly like an orange version of mine, but with the wings missing! Which meant-  
  
"Sara ripped the wings off and hurled it into an undersea cave." Seira said, quietly. I flinched at the mention of her name. "It must have gotten caught in a current and washed up on shore eventually."  
  
"Is that what you saw, when you looked sad for a moment?" I asked.  
  
Seira turned away. "Yeah," she said, quietly. I could tell she was lying, but I decided not to press the issue. I had bigger things to worry about.  
  
I took my necklace from Seira's hand, who barely noticed. She seemed to be concentrating on something. Maybe trying to fix the necklace with her pearl?  
  
I stared at the necklace in my own hand. I gulped, knowing it was time to face fate. My hands shaking, I undid the clasp and put the necklace around my neck. Immediately, I felt different. Mostly, I felt an intense desire to jump into the sea and never breach the surface again. My heart was still on a rollercoaster in my chest, but I felt slightly more at peace at the thought of going into the water.  
  
I gently touched Seira's hand, and she looked up at me. She looked frustrated. "I can't fix it!" she said. "My pearl won't work!"  
  
"It'll work in time," I said.  
  
She snorted. "Maybe in six years, once I'm thirteen."  
  
"Please don't say that," I groaned. "These past seven years have already been hell. Don't add more onto that."  
  
She glanced away again. "Sorry, I'm just frustrated."  
  
"Don't be. You're currently a fish out of water. It's natural," I said. "Maybe being in the ocean again will help you."  
  
Seira nodded. She put the Orange Pearl inside the necklace, and then put the necklace around her neck. It glowed slightly, but the wings didn't miraculously come back. I took her hand, and together the two of us walked outside. The cold breeze hit us once again, and we both shivered. The blue waters sparkled at us, urging us to dive deep below the surface. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I'm sure Seira's was too.  
  
"Ready?" I asked.  
  
"Yeah," she replied.  
  
I gulped and on the count of three, we both dove headfirst into the water. I felt the change immediately, before the bubbles around us could even subside. The two legs I'd grown so used to had meshed into one long tail. My human clothes had disappeared in the transformation, leaving me in nothing but a yellow bra. It was the same bra I'd been wearing at age eleven, and it was way too tight. I made a mental note to get a new yellow one the second I could. Speaking of yellow, I was completely surrounded by it. I was in a bubble of just my hair. Even though I hadn't been a mermaid for seven years, it appears my hair had kept magically growing.  
  
"Hey there, Rapunzel," I heard Seira's voice from beyond my bubble of hair. I tried to brush some of it away, only for it to float back into my face. Cursed water physics.  
  
"Very funny. I'm sure you look the same," I retorted.  
  
"Mmm, not really. Remember, I was a newborn mermaid when we left. I've only aged two years, in mermaid time," came her voice. I cursed the fact mermaids didn't start aging until after age five. "Hang on, I have a solution." Two hands appeared in my hair and parted it like a curtain. I saw Seira's face, and she grabbed my hand. She swam up, pulling me with her, until we breached the surface next to the boat.  
  
"Here, sit on the lower deck," she said. "I'll cut your hair to a, shall we say, manageable length." With that, she effortlessly jumped into the air and landed in the boat. She grabbed one of the towels we had on the lower deck and dried her necklace off, turning herself back to human. She then ran back inside, no doubt looking for scissors.  
  
I pulled myself onto the deck. At least above water, I could brush the hair behind my ears and see again. I marveled at my yellow tail stretching out in front of me. It had way been too long since I'd been a mermaid. Even though I was soaking wet from cold ocean water, the chill in the air that ran through me as a human couldn't touch me now. I relished in the feelings that I hadn't had in years, before suddenly remembering to yell to Seira to bring me a bra.  
  
She reappeared shortly afterwards, holding a bra and a pair of kitchen scissors. I grabbed the bra and changed quickly, and then eyed the scissors. "What happened to the good ones?"  
  
"What do you mean? These are the good ones," she replied.  
  
"No, those are the kitchen scissors. What about the nice scissors?"  
  
"They're somewhere in your space, I think. Probably buried under all your shells."  
  
"Well, can you go get them? I don't you hacking away at my hair with kitchen shears."  
  
"What's wrong with these? Plus, the only real problem is your bangs. They've grown over your face. Can't we go to a mermaid haircutter in the North Atlantic and they can take care of the rest?"  
  
"Fine. Just cut the bangs to a reasonable length and then I'll have them fix it when we get there," I huffed. I didn't like the idea of my bangs getting destroyed by Seira with kitchen scissors... but I also needed to be able to see. Whatever she did could surely be fixed by a professional.  
  
"Alright, hold still," Seira said, coming over the edge of the boat where I sat. I closed my eyes, praying to Aqua Regina that I wouldn't look horrible. I felt hair falling into my lap, and it felt like too much. A breeze hit my forehead... wait, forehead?  
  
"Seira, how much are you taking off?" I asked, trying to sound calm despite the fact I absolutely wasn't.  
  
"Done!" she said. "Can you see now?"  
  
I opened my eyes and instantly felt a difference. I dove back into the ocean to check, and while my too-long hair still floated around me, the bangs were out of my eyes. It felt like they were barely there in comparison. I surfaced again and gave Seira a thumbs up. She grinned and handed me a mirror.  
  
I glanced into it for not even a second and screamed. "Where are my bangs?" I screeched, panicked. "You took all of them off!"  
  
"Well, yeah, they were in your face!" Seira responded. "They had to go!"  
  
"Why didn't you stop at my forehead? Like how I look as a human?" I asked, both furious and in shock. She opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it. Had she not thought of that? I sighed. Hopefully the hairdresser in the North Atlantic was good.  
  
"I'm sorry," Seira squeaked. She jumped back into the water with me once again, and I got a good look at her mermaid form. Why hadn''t her bangs grown into her eyes? Oh right, she'd only aged two years instead of seven. Lucky her. "Do you think they can fix it?" she said, softly, giving me a hug.  
  
I sighed again. "For your sake, I hope so." I suppose I could look worse. I could put my hair in pigtails and look like the North Pacific princess. Then I'd be a real wreck.  
  
With that, we set off for the castle of the North Atlantic, in search of both a mermaid princess and a hairdresser.  
  
~  
  
The two of us swam along the ocean floor, taking in the sensations we'd missed for the past seven years. I did a couple twirls as I swam, relishing water physics. The long hair had to go, though. It felt like every couple seconds, Seira and I were stopping to detangle it from something it got caught on.  
  
We weren't far from the North Atlantic castle when suddenly, a wave of fish blew past us. 'Danger! Danger! Danger!' I heard, fading as they swam away from us. Seira and I glanced at each other.  
  
"You heard that, right?" I asked, trying to keep fear from creeping into my voice.  
  
"Yeah... aren't fish usually pretty scared of everything though?" Seira asked. She sounded nervous, too.  
  
"They're easily scareable, yes, but this feels different," I said, turning to watch them go. Their fleeing had been panicked, like an evil force was after them.  
  
Seira took my hand, and started to swim again. My heart was doing somersaults in my chest. This was not how I wanted today to go. My first day back in the ocean, and there was a solid chance I'd see Panthalassa again.  
  
The natural glow of a mermaid country was starting to appear on the horizon. So the North Atlantic was fine, for now. We sped up our pace slightly, hoping to make it to the palace soon, but then came to an abrupt stop once the country fully came into view.  
  
"No," I whispered, in shock. Seira silently stared out at the landscape, also in shock. The scene before us was a mirror image of what happened to the South Pacific years before. The green walls of the castle were crumbling, with mermaids attempting to flee, only to be caught in traps presumably laid by Panthalassa. Tears welled up in my eyes. I didn't see Gaito or any of his minions, but that didn't mean they weren't nearby.  
  
A scream caught our attention. Several mermaids near a rocky outcropping close to us had been caught in a rapidly sinking trap. It was falling towards a trench, presumably on course for Gaito's castle. I didn't even have to say anything to Seira; she had already started swimming towards them. I followed close behind.  
  
"Hang on! We'll get you out of there!" Seira said, once she had made it to them. They were caught in a heavy net. She gestured to me, and grabbed the net, trying to pull it upwards. I grabbed it too, using all of my strength to try to stop it from sinking more. Our combined effort seemed to work, slightly. The mermaids, realizing we were trying to save them, also started pushing up on the net.  
  
One of the mermaids grabbed my hand as I was pulling the net up. I glanced at her, surprised. She seemed older, most likely in her mid or late twenties. Old enough to be an adult when all seven seas had still been peaceful. Her eyes searched mine, then landed on my necklace. Shock, confusion, then understanding flashed across her face. She knew who I was.  
  
"Leave us," she said, quietly. "Help our princess and the Arctic princess."  
  
"What?" I blurted out, Seira echoing my thoughts.  
  
"Leave us," she repeated, firmly. "Panthalassa attacked our country, as they did yours. You know their target isn't a bunch of ordinary mermaids." I gulped, knowing she was right. The mermaid continued, "They'll go after the princesses' pearls. Please, save them, not us."  
  
Seira glanced at me, unsure of what to do. I didn't know, either. The mermaid had a point, but I couldn't stand by and let innocent mermaids continue to suffer like this.  
  
"Coco, I think she's right," Seira said, quietly.  
  
A couple gasps came from the other mermaids trapped in the net. Hearing my name must have made them realize who I was. It only made me feel worse. As a princess, I couldn't stand by and let innocent mermaids suffer... but I also had a duty to help save my fellow princesses. Tears came to my eyes again as I knew what had to be done. I let go of the net and grabbed both hands of the mermaid who had asked us to let them go.  
  
"Tell the mermaids of my country I'm alive," I said, my voice shaking. "Give them hope, for the first time in seven years." I sniffled, tears boiling over in my eyes. "T-tell them I'm coming for them, and I'll save them someday." She nodded. I continued, tears streaming down my cheeks, "We'll all save you. All seven of us will save you from the depths of despair, in that horrible castle." I glanced over at Seira and saw she had tears in her eyes, too.  
  
"After you save Rina and Noel, keep the North Pacific and Antarctic safe," the mermaid said. "They're the last countries left standing, as far as we know." With that, she let go of my hands. Seira let go at the same time, and the net started falling again. I saw the faces of the mermaids inside, scared but determined to face fate, and I buried my face in my hands. I couldn't keep it in any longer, I started bawling. How could there be only two countries left? That meant this exact scene had happened in almost all the countries now.  
  
Seira put her arm around me and began to swim. I leaned on her, putting my head on her shoulder, and just let the tears fall from my eyes. We swam up, away from where the traps were clearly laid, and swam just below the surface. I knew it would be difficult to see Rina and Noel from a distance, as green and dark blue blended in very well with the ocean floor. After a while of swimming, I realized it was pointless.  
  
"We aren't going to find them," I said. "There's no way to know which way they went."  
  
Seira was quiet for a second, then said, "I can feel the presence of strong evil near here. They're close."  
  
"Strong evil, like... Gaito?" I squeaked. His evil laugh had haunted my nightmares for the past seven years. Hearing it out loud would surely freeze me in place, and I'd be immediately captured.  
  
Seira was quiet for a moment, then grabbed my hands. "Nothing is going to happen to you, Coco," she said, calmly.  
  
"You didn't answer my question," I said, fear rising in my voice. She was silent, then opened up her necklace. The Orange Pearl gleamed faintly, and she handed it to me. I blinked, confused, but took it.  
  
"You know how to use the power of the pearl better than I can," Seira said. "It's better in your hands."  
  
I stared at the pearl in my hands. I'd never been able to use my own pearl before it was taken from me, and I'd only ever used the Orange Pearl once to call Aqua Regina. My attendants had told me of the powers pearls contained; the power to transform into idols and sing powerful songs to ward away evil. I'd been taught everything, but hadn't been allowed to transform. Not until after my coming of age ceremony, I was told. The ceremony that should have been five years ago. Tears filled my eyes again, and my hand closed around the pearl. I opened my necklace and placed the pearl inside.  
  
Seira and I continued swimming through the water. A bad feeling was growing in the bottom of my gut, probably the same thing Seira had felt. Hopefully it wasn't the plight of the other princesses. We swam up over a rocky sea shelf, Seira slightly ahead of me, and I heard a gasp from her.  
  
"What?" I asked, fear filling my heart. She didn't say anything, just stared out over the rocks. "Seira?" I asked, again, moving towards her.  
  
In a flash, she disrupted the rocks at the top. Several of them fell towards me. I dodged them, but one landed on my hair. I swore as it yanked me down to the bottom of the ocean floor.  
  
"I'll be back soon," Seira said. Before I could ask what was happening, she was gone in a flash. She was heading back towards the boat! I tried to lift the rock off my hair, but it was too heavy for me to lift. I couldn't pull my hair out either, not without a lot of pain. I heard a loud scream of "Rina!" from the other side of the rocks. Oh no, I was too late!  
  
I couldn't see anything from where I was pinned down. They must have been directly on the other side of the rocks! Suddenly, I heard the bone-chilling laugh that had haunted my nightmares for seven years. Gaito was here. I felt sick, but I knew it was up to me to save others from the same fate I'd nearly suffered.  
  
There was more noise coming from the other side of the rocks. It sounded like... a piano? Weird. I heard a child's laugh, a thud, and then another scream of "Rina!" and then, from a different voice, "Noel!"  
  
A scream sounded out in the water, and then I heard, "Rina! You have to escape! I'll be fine, don't worry about me!"  
  
"No! Noel!" came the other voice. I could hear the fear in her voice, the fear of losing her friend.  
  
"Go!" came Noel's voice. It was still for a second, and then suddenly a green blur shot across the ocean, above where I was trapped. Rina was fleeing. Had Noel sacrificed herself so Rina could flee? There had to be a way to get free and see-  
  
"Should we go after her, Gaito-sama?" I heard the child's voice say.  
  
"No, Yuri. One mermaid is just fine. Our first catch in seven years," came his cold voice. I felt sick. Instead of fear, though, I was filled with anger. I wasn't going to let Noel get taken, like they tried to take me. I noticed a sharp rock laying fairly close to me, on the ground. I swam down to it, straining to reach it, but finally grasped it. I held it in my hand, noting how sharp it was. It would do the trick.  
  
I said a silent prayer to Aqua Regina for courage, then used the rock to slice off all the hair below my shoulders. I was now free, and felt like a weight had been lifted off me. I took a deep breath, steeled myself, and swam towards the rocks. I was ready to grab Noel and swim as fast as I could to land, but I would fight with Seira's pearl if I needed to. I crested the top of the rocks, and surveyed the situation. Gaito and a green-haired child were slowly moving across the ocean floor on what looked like a giant manta ray. Noel was trapped in a cage of what looked like high pressuee water jets. Looks like I'd have to fight them to set her free. So be it.  
  
She noticed me, and her eyes grew huge. She shook her head slightly, as if to warn me away. I didn't care. I clenched my fists at my side, and prepared to call on the power of Seira's pearl. Wait, would I be Orange Pearl Voice, or Yellow Pearl Voice? I was a yellow mermaid princess, but the pearl was orange...  
  
I'd figure it out soon enough. A shadow on the surface was growing closer and closer. It was the boat, manned by Seira! Gaito and the child both noticed, and glanced at it questioningly.  
  
"Should we be worried about that, Gaito-sama?" the child asked.  
  
He opened his mouth to respond, but I yelled first, "Yes." Gaito and the child spun around to see where my voice came from. Their eyes landed on me, and I stared back in anger. My fists were clenched at my side, and anger boiled in my eyes. I didn't doubt my ability to use the pearl's power anymore. I'd use it to defeat them, free Noel, and then save my people from his dark castle.  
  
"A yellow mermaid, what a rare sight, Yuri!" Gaito laughed.  
  
The child, presumably Yuri, laughed. "I thought we captured all of them! I guess we get the Indigo Princess and the last yellow mermaid, then! What a haul!"  
  
The... last yellow mermaid? All my people were gone? The tears in my eyes spilled over, and the Orange Pearl, reacting to my emotions, glowed from its place inside my necklace. Gaito's grin faded upon seeing its glow, and I looked at him with pure contempt in my eyes. He looked shocked at seeing the glow of orange from my necklace.  
  
"Perish," I said, furiously. Just as I was preparing to transform, I heard a loud splash. I looked up, only to see the anchor of our boat plummeting towards the sea floor. Gaito and Yuri, eyes locked on me, never saw it coming. It smashed into their manta ray, knocking them unconscious immediately. Noel, kept somewhat safe by the water jets that made up the cage, was thrown away from the ray on impact. Her cage smashed into the ocean floor and disintegrated. She laid there on the ground, not moving.  
  
"Nice shot, huh?" I heard Seira's voice faintly from above. She had stuck her face into the water to talk to me.  
  
"Yeah, but..." I replied, quickly swimming over to Noel. She had been knocked unconscious for sure. There didn't seem to be any major injuries to her. I hoped the impact had simply knocked her out, without any major injuries. I heard a splash, and Seira was quickly at my side. She grabbed one of Noel's arms & put it around her shoulders. I did the same, and together the two of us swam her unconscious form up to the boat.  
  
We pushed her onto the deck, then hauled ourselves up. Seira dried herself off in record time, then ran to the controls. I yanked up the anchor, still in my mermaid form, praying that Gaito and Yuri weren't stuck to the bottom of it. Luckily, they weren't. In no time, we were speeding away from the scene of barely-averted tragedy.  
  
I lay on the deck, face up along with Noel's unconscious form. The stress of today was too much for me, I was exhausted. Eventually, the two of us dried off enough to turn into our human forms. As a human, Noel had dark blue hair, but her signature freckle remained. She looked a lot like her sister, Caren.  
  
Somehow, I gathered the strength to pick myself up the deck. Once I was up, my strength seemed to return to me. My mermaid form may have been exhausted, but it looked like my human form was fine. Noel was still laying peacefully on the deck. I couldn't leave her out here. I walked over to her and gently picked her up. She was shockingly light. My human form was a lot stronger than my mermaid form, it seemed. I gently carried her inside and placed her on the couch. She stirred a little, but didn't fully wake up. I placed a blanket over her, then walked away.  
  
I found Seira in the control room, leaning on the wheel. Without a word, I handed her pearl back to her, my hands shaking slightly. She glanced at me, unspoken agreement between us that this wouldn't happen again. Night had fallen in the world around us, and the sea reflected thousands of stars. I glanced down at the water and shivered. Although I hoped the force of the anchor dropping on Gaito had killed him, I had a sneaking suspicion he'd survive somehow. Plus, there was still the danger of his other minions, and... her.  
  
"How is she?" Seira asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.  
  
I shrugged. "She's still unconscious. We won't know if she's okay until she wakes up, if she wakes up..." For all we knew, the impact could have killed her, like the ceiling killed me years ago.  
  
Seira shook her head. "It doesn't feel like it did when you were unconscious in the Indian Ocean fountain years ago. This is different, in a good way. She'll wake up."  
  
I said nothing, staring out at the sea. The wind blew in my hair, whipping it around my face. We had another Mermaid Princess on our side now. I knew I should feel happy, but instead I just felt... empty. I missed being a mermaid already, even though I knew it wasn't safe.  
  
"Do you think he's dead?" I asked, quietly. Silence hung in the air between us before Seira shook her head.  
  
"He won't be dead until all seven of us can defeat him with our pearls," Seira said, quietly. My worst fears were confirmed. I quietly excused myself, then went to the top deck. I stared at the choppy sea, trying not to think about the horrors below it that I'd just witnessed, and that had happened in other countries. I hoped Rina had been able to make it to safety, and that the princess of the destroyed South Atlantic was somewhere safe as well.  
  


~~~

  
A day passed, and Noel woke up. She was shocked to wake up in a boat as a human, and was incredibly panicked at first. Once I'd shown her my yellow winged shell necklace, she calmed down, but only for a second. After that, she realized who I was, and started berating me, stating the ocean world thought I was dead, how could I do that to everyone, etc. At some point, I started crying, and she softened and realized her mistake. She cried too, as she caught me up on all the happenings of the ocean world in the years I'd missed. Panthalassa had attacked her castle recently, and she'd fled to Rina's country, as they were childhood friends. They'd attacked on the day of Rina's coming of age ceremony, when no one had expected them. The South Atlantic kingdom had been destroyed months ago, but its princess had been able to flee before they captured her or the Aquamarine pearl. Communcation between countries was almost gone, so no one really knew what was happening in the Antarctic, but the North Pacific was safe for now. It appeared no one knew of Sara's betrayal, only that the South Pacific and Indian countries were lost seven years ago.  
  
I told her everything I knew about the attack on my country, except one thing: Seira. She pulled me aside, later, asking why I didn't tell Noel about her. I hesitated before telling her that she should remain hidden until she figured out her powers. Then, Panthalassa would assume we'd never be successful, since Sara was on their side. Seira was, in essence, an ace up our sleeve. She seemed to understand, and skipped away to talk to Noel about the ocean world.  
  
A few days later, I asked Noel if she had any idea where Rina might have gone. She got a misty looked in eyes, and told me that she and Rina had planned to flee to Japan. Allegedly, it's where the South Atlantic Princess, Hanon, was hiding, and they had wanted to join up with her. With that, I set a course for Japan, ready to join up with hopefully two more mermaid princesses.


	4. Misunderstandings - Caren

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Switched POV in this chapter so watch out!

It was dull today under the sea. A thick layer of clouds covered the sun, preventing any sunlight from shining into the ocean. Good. I might have been blinded otherwise. I was searching the golden ruins of the South Pacific for signs of the entrance to Panthalassa's castle. They had taken my sister months ago; and my country more recently. I was on a quest for payback, and they were at the top of my payback list. Not that it was much of a list, just them and another... problem. Said problem was the Mermaid Princess of the North Atlantic, Rina. She was the childhood friend of my sister, Noel, and reports had said she fled like a coward when Noel was captured, instead of trying to save her. I had tracked her, along with two other mermaid princesses, to a coastal town in Japan on the surface. However, I still hadn't made contact, and didn't plan on it until the time was right. Aside from Rina and her cowardice, the other two seemed... immature to say the least. Whenever I made contact, I'd have to be confrontational, and ready to remind Rina of exactly what she had done.  
  
For now, though, I was simply searching for any sign of life in the South Pacific. I'd spent weeks scouring the Indian Ocean doing the same, but there had been nothing. The only thing remaining in the Indian Ocean was the great fountain of the country, where us Mermaid Princesses were born from our pearls. Perhaps that was a sign for the Indian Ocean; that their princess had been lost as well, and a new one needed to be born. No one had heard from her in over seven years, not since her country and the South Pacific were destroyed.  
  
I'd attempted to return home after my thorough exploration of the Indian Ocean, only to be met with devastation. My country had been attacked while I was away, and easily fell with no one there to defend it. I heard voices calling to me from the caves on the outskirts of the capital, and tried my best to ignore them. They were most likely traps. Nothing had been spared in their attack, it seemed. My palace, the whole city, even some of the icebergs nearby had been attacked. I had murmured silent prayers to the mermaids of my country, hoping they were okay, and fled. I knew the chances of a successful escape for them were slim, due to the nearby countries all being ruined. My country of the Antarctic had long been isolated. Ever since the Indian and South Pacific countries were destroyed seven years ago, the only safe way to travel to and from the Antarctic was through the South Atlantic... until that was destroyed too. From what I heard, the North Pacific was the last country left. I'm sure a few stragglers could have made it all the way there, but it was unlikely that most of the other purple mermaids made it out. Either way, I'd head north after I was done here.  
  
There didn't seem to be much happening in the South Pacific. Crumbled walls, once shining gold but now covered in algae, lay everywhere. I passed more than a few mermaid skeletons, averting my eyes every time. Too much time had passed for me to even tell if they were of this ocean, or perhaps if they had been orange mermaids fleeing the Indian Ocean.  
  
No one was certain of exactly what had happened in the two countries seven years ago. We knew there had been a huge storm that even reached the edges of the North Pacific, then Panthalassa had been freed, and both the South Pacific and Indian Ocean princesses were gone. Coco was for sure gone, and whispers abounded that Sara had been either captured or killed by Panthalassa when they were freed. Getting the seven princesses together to fight Gaito really wasn't in the cards, since there were at best six. I had no idea what we would do, maybe steal the Yellow Pearl from them and let a new princess be born? We'd have to get in, with only four of us, then free Noel and potentially Sara, then leave and come back... it just didn't seem like it would work.  
  
I arrived at the main room of the South Pacific castle. The great yellow fountain here was barely running. I felt visibly sick when i noticed rust-colored spots on it. Blood. Someone had been viciously attacked here. Cracked pieces of walls and what was once the ceiling littered the floor as well. A turned-over bag was laying a short distance away. I swam over to it, saying a silent apology to any spirits I may disturb. Inside was a simple notebook and a couple scrolls that appeared to be about the human world. As wrong as it felt to look at the notebook, I had to know if there were any clues in it. I opened it, and sighed. Nothing for the first couple pages.  
  
"What in the world happened here?" I wondered, aloud. Still holding the notebook, I swam over to the fountain. I sat on the edge, taking care to avoid the bloodstains. I flipped through more pages of the notebook, trying to see if anything was written in it. Finally, there seemed to be something on the last few pages! It seemed to be a poem, a very long one at that.  
  
"The last page of a fairy tail is rewritten, and turns to tragedy," I read the first line aloud, squinting at the paper. Whoever wrote this had horrible handwriting. I continued, unaware I had started singing, "I lose sight of the one I loved-"  
  
A loud clunking sound came from the fountain. I shrieked, falling backwards into the fountain. It glowed a bright yellow suddenly, and I closed my eyes against the light.  
  
I felt like I was spinning, but then the light assaulting my eyes faded. I cautiously opened them, only to gasp. The palace had reformed around me! The walls and ceiling were intact, and the floor was free of debris. Was I hallucinating? I looked down at myself and gasped. I was see-through! Was I a spirit? I stretched my hand out, trying to see if I could touch the edge of the fountain, but I hit a barrier. It appeared I was a spirit, confined to the fountain.  
  
"What in the great ocean-" I murmured, marveling at my see-through self. I didn't have much time to admire, though, before the ceiling started shaking. Ice seemed to start erupting from everywhere. Screams came from out of sight, and I shot up, alert. Who was here?  
  
Just then, a huge group of yellow mermaids passed the fountain. No one had seen yellow mermaids in seven years! Where had they come from? I stared in shock, catching small glimpses of their conversation.  
  
"Can you believe it? The Indian Ocean is gone?"  
  
"And Panthalassa is back! It's all so scary!"  
  
"Yeah! At least Coco-sama is safe... even if the country falls apart we have her."  
  
The mermaids were now out of earshot; I couldn't eavesdrop anymore. I sat in the fountain, in shock. Coco? Yellow mermaids? What was happening? Was I... seeing the past somehow? I glanced back at the fountain, and it glowed slightly, almost as if saying yes.  
  
I leaned back onto the fountain. This was a lot to process. If I guessed correctly, I was about to watch the fall of the South Pacific... and I'd be the only one to know what happened. A lump rose in my throat, and I whirled around to the fountain.  
  
"Can I stop what's going to happen?" I blurted out. "You know, with Coco..."  
  
Just then, I heard her voice. She and an older mermaid, presumably her attendant, entered. Coco looked no older than eleven, and I felt a lump rise in my throat. She didn't deserve to die! I couldn't watch this! I tried to leave the fountain, but the barrier was still there, preventing me from leaving.  
  
I watched in shock, tears falling down my face, as Coco recounted her story of Sara's betrayal to the attendant. When the ceiling crashed onto her, and she fell into the fountain, I was there. Sara's appearance and her song, the lyrics straight from the notebook I had been reading from, sent chills through my entire body. A Mermaid Princess shouldn't be capable of such evil like that!  
  
The last thing I saw before the scene in front of me began to fade was Sara taking Coco's lifeless body and fleeing the crumbling palace. The bright golden yellows of the palace seven years ago roughly changed into the dirty, algae-covered ruins they were today, and I was left sitting in the barely-working fountain, sobbing my heart out. I'd never been too close with either Coco or Sara; despite our countries being close they preferred to visit each other alone rather than see me, but watching the scene of Sara's betrayal and Coco's death hurt my heart in ways I'd never imagined.  
  
I sat in that fountain for what seemed like hours, crying. I realized that it was truly just me and the three other Mermaid Princesses in Japan. It was up to us to rescue Noel, stop Sara, and allow a new South Pacific princess to be born. Rina may have betrayed my sister... but I'd just seen a worse betrayal. I could get even with Rina later.  
  
With that, I slowly rose out of the fountain. It glowed a faint yellow, as if saying goodbye. Perhaps Aqua Regina had been speaking to me through the fountain. I turned my eyes north, and headed towards Japan.  
  
~  
  
I sat in a cafe near the beach, holding an iced coffee. I watched as three girls ran around waitressing tables, while a boy with blonde hair advertised for people to come in. I wasn't sure who he was, but the three girls were the Mermaid Princesses. I had seen a glimpse of the blue-haired one's shell necklace at one point, and the color scheme seemed to fit with the other two girls. I knew Rina was the green-haired one, but wasn't sure of the other two's names.  
  
Rina had been stealing glances at me every time she had a spare moment. I wondered if it was because my human form looked like Noel's human form, or if somehow she knew who I was. Perhaps I had her pegged wrong, every time she glanced at me I saw sadness in her eyes. I simply sipped my coffee and returned her stare, every time I caught it. If she had something to say, she could come say it to my face.  
  
The blonde-haired boy ran to the back, yelling about going on break. Rina and the other two noticed, and ran after him, yelling that they were going on break too. They seemed like they were up to something. Oh well, I might as well stretch my legs for a bit and wander around town. I ordered another coffee to go, relishing the taste. I knew it would keep me up late, but I was worried about what I might see in my nightmares tonight. I couldn't stomach the thought of having nightmares about Noel trapped in that castle, Coco dead, and Sara evil all at once.  
  
The town around me was bustling. It was summer here in the Northern Hemisphere, and it seemed like everyone was celebrating. Surfers were out riding the waves, people were lying on the beach getting a tan, children ran around building sandcastles... the whole place was filled with activity. A stark contrast to the ruined countries deep below the waves.  
  
A young girl ran in front of me suddenly. I stopped right before I ran into her, but coffee spilled all down the front of my shirt. She noticed me then and gasped, apologizing profusely. Another girl came running up, this one closer to my age, if not older. She had dark blue hair and light blue eyes, and seemed familiar somehow. She almost looked like my human form, in fact. It was like looking in a mirror, but dark blue instead of purple. The girl, after giving me a curious look, apologized for her younger sister and offered to buy me a new shirt and coffee. I politely declined and simply continued on my walk.  
  
I was several blocks down the road before I realized the young girl had been wearing an orange shell necklace. I stopped in my tracks. How had I been so stupid to overlook that? I threw a glance behind me, hoping despite the odds that I might see them following me, but no such luck. Honestly, an orange mermaid? How could I have ignored that? I had a million questions for her running through my mind. I cursed myself for not being attentive enough. Sure, maybe she was too young to remember details of what happened seven years ago, but her 'older sister' was probably a mermaid too. Probably an Arctic mermaid... who could have been my twin. It couldn't be... No! I pushed all my thoughts of Noel down. She was trapped in Gaito's castle, how could she be here? And with an orange mermaid, no less? I was seeing things. I made silent vow to look for the two girls again later, maybe with the help of the other three princesses.  
  
I slowly made my way back to the cafe on the beach. The scene had changed there, though. Girls were falling all over themselves for guys, and guys were getting into tussels for their love interests. It was like a discount soap opera on the beach. Jagged piano notes whistled through the air. One of the Dark Lovers was behind this! I ran towards the notes, wincing at the music. It grew louder as I got closer, and I saw the three Mermaid Princesses get ready to sing to fight the Dark Lover. I'd sit this one out and let them handle it, unless they got overwhelmed. Just in case, I ducked behind an umbrella, out of view of anyone, and transformed into Purple Pearl Voice. I'd hide behind this umbrella until or if they needed help, then I'd talk to them afterwards. A foolproof plan.  
  
The blonde haired boy was curled up on the ground near me, not moving. He also had... wings? Wonder what that was about. He groaned suddenly and grabbed my ankle. I nearly jumped ten feet in the air. So much for hiding behind the umbrella.  
  
"Lucia-san," he mumbled. "Don't hurt her. She's just a misguided child." Hurt who? The Dark Lover attacking them?  
  
"I'm not Lucia," I said, glaring down at him. "But if you're talking about the Dark Lover, I think Lucia's in her full rights to kill her if she needs to."  
  
"Noooooooooo!" the man wailed, burying his face in the sand. I sighed and rolled my eyes. What had I gotten myself into?  
  
The Dark Lover noticed his wail, and saw me for the first time. "You!" she screeched. The three princesses turned around, trying to see what she was looking at. They hadn't started singing yet. It appeared I was going to be part of whatever this was.  
  
I crossed my arms. "Yeah, me! You got a problem with me?" I yelled at her. Rina was staring at me like she'd seen a ghost. The ghost of my sister, probably.  
  
The Dark Lover stared at me for a moment, sizing me up. She cackled, "You look like the Arctic Princess! The one we-"  
  
I had no idea what she said after that. Blood rushed to my face and my adrenaline went through the roof. Ignoring all sense of self preservation, I charged at the little girl and swung a punch at her. She screamed and ducked, only to be grabbed by the collar and held up by Rina.  
  
"Never mention Noel again," Rina said. I could hear venom in her voice. "You're the one who took her from us." While Rina had her incapacitated, I took the initiative to shove her piano off the rock it had been balanced on. It crashed into the sea below, and the girl let out a wail. I clenched my fist, ready to knock her out. Anger boiled in my veins and I looked at her with cold fury. This was the girl who had dragged my sister to the horrible castle in the depths, and I'd make sure she regretted the day she ever met me. I readied my fist, ready to swing again. She covered her face with her hands in desperation-  
  
"You guys," one of the other mermaids began, sounding nervous. "We're supposed to sing to defeat them, not use violence-"  
  
"Tough shit," I said, my fist connecting with the girl's face. "Maybe you could get somewhere if you didn't just sing all the time." Rina let go of the girl and she flew backwards. She looked up at us, the beginnings of a black eye showing where I had punched her. Good. Actions had consequences, after all. Tears welled in her eyes and she vanished in a flash. I turned to look at the other three princesses. The two who I didn't know looked outraged, and Rina's face was a mixture of sadness, shock, and anger.  
  
"You should have just let us sing!" The blue-haired one, said, furiously.  
  
"Yeah, we had it handled!" The blonde-haired one dressed in pink added.  
  
I crossed my arms again. "In case you didn't notice, I wasn't willingly a part of this. That girl started it, and she can deal with the consequences of dealing with clearly the only two competent princesses left." I took a deep breath and turned to Rina. "Which brings me to my next point. Is it true you abandoned my sister, Noel, and fled when she was captured by Panthalassa? And was it really that girl?"  
  
"Wh-what? No?" Rina blurted out, shocked. She looked like she'd been hit by a bus from my accusations. "I-I'd never leave Noel- I- she-" Tears welled in her eyes, and she sniffled. Her friends noticed, and stared at her with wide eyes. After a moment, she continued, sniffling more and more, "We were fl-fleeing my country after th-they attacked on my coming of-of age ceremony. W-we were confronted b-by Gaito & Y-yuri, that girl. N-noel sacrificed herself s-so I could escape. I-I didn't want to leave h-her, but-" She buried her face in her hands and started sobbing.  
  
"I'm sorry," I mumbled, feeling a twinge of guilt for accusing her. Clearly, this was not her typical behavior, as her friends looked absolutely stunned at the sight of Rina crying. She did seem like the loner type; maybe they were just allies and not necessarily friends. I walked over to Rina and awkwardly tried to give her a hug. Her friends came over too, and all four of us came together in a big group hug.  
  
"She was m-my best friend," Rina said, between sobs. "I-I-I-"  
  
"It's okay," I said, quietly. "I don't blame you." Not anymore, at least. From what I'd heard, Noel seemed like the self-sacrificing type. I should have been able to guess the truth, instead of just accepting rumors.  
  
We stood there for a little while, our transformations eventually undoing. The three other princesses were indeed the waitresses from the cafe, as I'd suspected. They recognized me as a customer from earlier, and asked if I had been spying on them. I admitted it, and they looked rather cross for a second, before smiling and saying it was good to have me as a friend. I learned the blonde-haired pink one was Lucia, princess of the North Pacific, and the one in blue was Hanon, princess of the South Atlantic. Eventually, Rina calmed down enough to formally introduce herself as well. The three realized that they had been on break for too long, and had to go back to the cafe, saying "Nikora's going to kill us!!"  
  
I agreed to meet up with them the next day, figuring they didn't need bad news before they had to deal with this Nikora character. From what they said, she seemed scary. Plus, it was apparently Lucia's birthday and she already had plans. Figures. I guess I could let them have fun for one more night, before I hit them with the cold truth, about us being the only ones left.  
  
I leaned back on a bench, watching the sun slowly set. It was strange to see the sun in July. Back home, it was winter right now, and we wouldn't see the sun for months. Thinking about home hurt my heart a little. All the purple mermaids, caught completely by surprise, and without their princess to defend them... I couldn't bear it. I clutched my necklace tightly and squeezed my eyes shut, refusing to cry. I wasn't going to make a fool of myself in public.  
  
"Thinking of home?" Rina's voice broke through my thoughts of misery. "I've been there myself."  
  
"It's not your business," I said, curtly, keeping my eyes tightly shut. I was an adult mermaid; I wasn't going to let some 14 year old see me cry.  
  
I didn't hear anything for a few moments, then I felt the weight shift on the bench. Rina had sat down next to me, and awkwardly put her arm around me. She sighed.  
  
"Look, we just met, but I can tell you're taking this hard. We're princesses, we all need to support each other. I was there for your sister when-" Her voice caught a little, but she continued, "-when the Arctic was destroyed, and she..." Rina cleared her throat. "Anyways, she would want me to be here for you. I owe her that..."  
  
I didn't say anything, but leaned on her shoulder. Something about her words broke a dam in me, and I wasn't able to stop the tears once again. We sat there, me crying on her shoulder, and Rina just being there for me, for what seemed like an eternity. All my emotions I'd been bottling up seemed to be falling out of my eyes. I cried for Noel, trapped at the bottom of the ocean. I cried for my ruined country of the Antarctic, along with all the others long gone. I cried for Coco, hoping she was at least resting peacefully after Sara's horrible betrayal.  
  
At some point, Rina started softly singing. It must have been her own song; I'd never heard it before. Her name wasn't mentioned, but I could tell it was about Noel. I opened my tear-swollen eyes to see her staring at the sea while singing, pearl softly glowing inside her shell necklace. Something about her song made me feel better, like I wasn't completely alone in the world.  
  
 _Nagareboshi ni negai o kaketa_  
 _Nanatsu no hikari mitsukedashite_  
 _Hanarebanare ni natta JEWELED STAR_  
 _Unmei to iu kizuna o shinjiteru_  
  
Despite not knowing the words, I softly hummed along as she finished her song. I noticed a few teardrops on her face as well, but decided not to mention them. I murmured a quiet thanks, and Rina acknowledged it. We stared out at the dark sea together, watching the stars sparkle on the water. Their yellow glow reminded me-  
  
"It's just the four of us," I said, quietly. Rina turned to me, looking confused. "We're on our own to save Noel."  
  
"What?" Rina blurted out, shocked. "What about the South Pacific or Indian Ocean princesses?"  
  
"No, we can't count on the Indian Ocean- hang on, did you say South Pacific?" I asked.  
  
"Yeah, she hasn't been captured, right? As far as we know?" Rina asked.  
  
I stared at her. "Rina," I said quietly. "Y-you don't know?"  
  
"Know what?" she asked, a note of concern in her voice.  
  
I took a deep breath. This wasn't going to be fun. "The princess of the South Pacific, Coco, has been dead for years. There's only six princesses. We can't summon Aqua Regina without breaking into Gaito's castle, stealing her pearl, and letting another princess be born."  
  
Rina stared at me, slack jawed. "She-she's gone? Since when?"  
  
"Since seven years ago. In that storm that destroyed her country, and the Indian Ocean. Oh, moreover, about the Indian Ocean princess-"  
  
"Stop," Rina interrupted me. "Don't tell me the Indian Ocean princess is gone too. I can't-"  
  
"Well, she's not dead, but..." My voice trailed off, remembering the evil emanating from Sara as she sang of the South Pacific's doom. Evil, but also deep sadness.  
  
Rina stood up and started pacing in front of the bench. She seemed incredibly distressed.  
  
"Did you genuninely not know?" I asked. It seemed like this was brand new to her.  
  
"No!" she said, anguished. "Maybe they were waiting until after my coming of age ceremony to tell me, or- Why didn't Nikora or Taki or Hippo tell us! They told us we were fully capable of getting all seven princesses together!"  
  
"Wait, so do Lucia and Hanon not know either?" I asked, shocked.  
  
"I don't think so!" Rina sounded like she was going to cry again. "I-how-what are we going to do? How can we do anything with only six of us?"  
  
"More like five, really," I muttered.  
  
Unfortunately, Rina heard and screeched, "FIVE?" Oops.  
  
"Yeah... about the Indian Ocean princess..."  
  
"You said she wasn't dead!"  
  
"Well, she's not, but... she's not really on our side either..."  
  
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Rina had her hands on hips, looking absolutely indignant.  
  
"Well, I'm not sure how exactly it happened, but she's not, uh, orange anymore. And she kind of contributed to the destruction of the South Pacific. So..." My voice trailed off.  
  
Rina stood there, silently, clearly processing everything I told her. She let out a deep sigh. "So it's just the four of us and Noel left?" She finally asked.  
  
"Yeah, basically," I said.  
  
She groaned and buried her face in her hands. "We need to tell Lucia and Hanon," she said, resignation in her voice.  
  
"And then what from there? Storm the castle and get Noel and the Yellow Pearl?"  
  
Rina threw her hands up in the air. "I guess! I'm not the leader here but it's really our only course of action." She grabbed my arm and pulled me off the bench. "Come on, let's go get Hanon and head back to Pearl Piari."  
  
"Where?" I asked.  
  
"Pearl Piari, it's essentially our base of operations." Rina said, starting to walk. I followed close behind. "Lucia's probably back there now, but I want to check to make sure Hanon still isn't out at Tarou's."  
  
I debated asking who Tarou was, but decided against it. I'd find out in time. In time, we arrived at a very nice looking house on the sea. Someone had a lot of money, clearly. Rina walked straight up to the door and knocked on it, while I stood back. A dark-haired man answered the door, and he and Rina talked for a moment. Rina nodded and thanked him, then turned around and he shut the door behind him.  
  
"Hanon already left to go back home," she said. "Let's head back." We started on our way once again, me following Rina's lead to Pearl Piari. The moon passed behind a cloud, and I felt a chill go through me. Rina felt it too, and we stopped. We both heard a splashing sound from the ocean and whirled around.  
  
"Who's there?" We both said, clenching our fists. There was nothing but silence, but I felt deep unease.  
  
"Do you feel it too?" Rina asked.  
  
I nodded, "Something's wrong."  
  
"Are you okay if I go get Hanon and Lucia and come back here?" She asked. I nodded. "Okay. Don't do anything rash, I guess."  
  
"Don't tell me what to do," I said, sarcastically. Rina just sighed and took off. I sat down on the beach and waited.  
  
I heard a few more splashes in the water, but still couldn't see anything. My curiosity was driving me insane. I knew I should wait for backup, but surely the other three could get me out of any trouble I got into. It was most likely one of Gaito's dumb minions, back for more. I looked around, double checking no one was around to see me transform, and dove into the water.  
  
My eyes took a moment to adjust, but I couldn't see anything suspicious. I swam cautiously towards where the splashing noise had been coming from, but still didn't see anything. Hmm, perhaps it was simply a fish jumping? It wouldn't explain the unease I had, but since I couldn't see anything...  
  
"Look, sister Sheshe! A new mermaid!" came from behind me. I spun around and saw two women floating in the sea. One was dressed in red, one in blue. Who were they?  
  
"Mm, a perfect present for Gaito, don't you think, sister Mimi?" the red one said. So they were Gaito's minions! I'd never seen them before, though. Were they new?  
  
"I don't know who you are, but if you're with Gaito, I'll defeat you!" I said. My pearl started to glow and I shouted, "Purple Pearl Voice!" A purple aura surrounded me, and my tail transformed into legs. A short ruffled dress appeared on my torso, as well as boots and gloves on my feet and hands, respectively. A yellow Live Stage surrounded me and I began to sing,  
  
 _Nanairo no kaze ni fukarete tooi misaki wo mezashiteta_  
 _Yoake mae kikoeta MELODY_  
 _Sore wa totemo natsukashii uta_  
  
I'd closed my eyes while singing, but I opened them at the end of the first verse and gasped. There was no effect on the two! They looked bored, even!  
  
"Oh, are you done already?" the red one said.  
  
"In that case, it's our turn!" the blue one said. Their turn? What?  
  
My question was answered when microphones appeared in front of them. A red light surrounded them, almost like a corrupted version of my Live Stage. Were they going to sing? They opened their mouths and-  
  
 _Voice in the Dark! Yami no foria!_  
  
Immediately I was hit with a wave of unimaginable pain. I screamed and covered my ears in an attempt to block out their voices, but it didn't work. They continued to sing, and I felt my power draining away. I was on the verge of collapsing in my Live Stage once they finally stopped singing, and I heard them laughing. I barely had any strength left, but I had to get out of here and warn Rina and the others.  
  
With the last of my strength, I shot upwards out of my Live Stage. It shattered and I turned back into a mermaid as I swam towards the surface, and I heard a 'Hey!' from down below. I didn't look back, though. I had to make it above the water! I could see the waves moving above me on the surface, I'd almost made it!  
  
I broke the surface, gasping and panting from exhaustion. I immediately looked towards the land, and saw a shocked human. Shit.  
  
"Caren?" the human slowly said, shocked. What? How did she know who I was? I didn't recognize her. She looked faintly like Lucia, with short blonde hair and brown eyes, but she looked significantly older and wasn't wearing pink.  
  
"Who are you?" I asked.  
  
She visibly brightened and exclaimed, "I thought it was you! When Seira and No-"  
  
Something grabbed my tail just then. I screamed and cut her off with a "Help!" Her eyes grew wide and she ran to the edge of the pier. She stretched out her hand, trying to reach me, but it was no use. We were too far from each other.  
  
"I'll get help! Hang on!" she said, turning and starting to run. I had no idea who she was or who the help might be, but I hoped it would arrive in time. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach that it wouldn't, though.  
  
Just then, my fears were confirmed. Whatever had grabbed my tail viciously yanked me back down to the bottom of the seafloor. I could barely react before suddenly I was pinned to a rock by some overgrown plants. The two minions of Gaito laughed as I struggled.  
  
"Look at her, sister Sheshe. I'm sure her friends will come save her soon. And then we can give four sets of princesses and pearls to Gaito!" the blue one said.  
  
The red one, Sheshe, laughed. "After that, there's just two more sets! Good job, sister Mimi."  
  
Two? TWO? That meant... had Sara turned back to good? And allowed a new South Pacific princess to be born? Or... my mind flashed back to the girl I'd seen today, the mirror image of myself. Could it be? Had Noel escaped? And had she maybe taken the Yellow Pearl with? My mind was racing with the possibilities.  
  
My mental calculations were interrupted by the arrival of Rina, Hanon, and Lucia. They saw me and immediately transformed into their idol forms, ready to fight.  
  
"Don't! The songs don't affect them!" I yelled, but it was no use. They were already trying to sing. They got all the way through Super Love Songs before finally noticing, and looked stunned. Sheshe and Mimi took the opportunity to begin singing themselves, and soon overpowered the three girls. I struggled against the vines, but it was no use. I had to do something! Even if the four of us weren't the only princesses left, they couldn't get all of us!  
  
I grit my teeth and knew what I had to do. I called upon the power I'd kept saved in my pearl to temporarily stun the two minions. Purple light shined brightly from it, and I sent it towards Rina. She stared at me, shocked.  
  
"Go, while they're frozen!" I yelled. "Find Noel!"  
  
She stared at me, still visibly shocked. I heard a cackle, and then a man appeared next to the two minions.  
  
"A job well done, Sheshe and Mimi," he said. Gaito! I heard Rina scream in the background. The last thing I saw before my vision went completely dark was Hanon and Lucia dragging Rina away from where I was. Now I knew how Noel felt when she'd been captured. I just hoped they'd be okay long enough to figure out a plan to save the seven seas.


	5. Sacrifices - Caren

The bottom of the sea is frigid. I was used to the cold and darkness of the Antarctic, but this place chilled me to the bone. Gaito's castle was the gloomiest place I'd ever had the misfortune of being at. It was dimly lit, so shadows lurked in every corner. A sense of evil seemed to permeate the very waters the castle sat in. I didn't know how long I'd been here, but I was convinced I'd die of frostbite before anyone could come rescue me. It was a miserable existence for me down here. I was trapped in a tank, basically unable to move, and I felt completely alone here. Gaito's idiotic minions seemed gleeful that they finally caught a mermaid, and I saw the child who I'd punched before giving me the stink eye. When I got out, I'd knock her lights out again. I wondered where Noel was; if she was maybe that human I saw back in Japan. The way everyone here seemed to be talking implied that I was the first mermaid they'd captured, which meant she wasn't here. Maybe Rina and the others would be able to find her, and they'd all join forces to free me. Of course, we'd have to steal the Yellow Pearl, and there was still the issue of Sara. I had no idea whether she was here, I hadn't seen her yet.  
  
The click of heels echoed in the hallways of the castle. They sounded like they were heading towards me. Wonderful. I couldn't wait to hear more about how Panthalassa was 'oh so wonderful because we finally caught a princess.' Good thing my eyes were closed; I didn't have to acknowledge whoever it was. A loud, resounding bang shocked me out of my thoughts. Momentarily panicking, I opened my eyes to make sure I wasn't about to die. I saw a figure clad in a white dress & hiding their face under a white veil in front of me. Great, another new minion of Gaito's, coming to torment a captive audience.  
  
"Where is the yellow mermaid?" came from the figure.  
  
"The who?" I gasped out, struggling to move my mouth. The water in the tank had a numbing effect on me, making me essentially immobile. My mouth unfortunately was not an exception.  
  
"The yellow mermaid," the figure repeated, slowly. "She has stolen a treasure from Gaito-sama that must be returned."  
  
"I don't know who you're talking about. No one has seen a yellow mermaid in seven years," I said.  
  
The figure was silent for a few moments. The numbing water all around me seemed to be trying to lull me to sleep. I was trying to fight it to the best of my ability, but it wasn't going well.  
  
Just then, the figure leaned in close, almost pressing what I assumed was their face against the glass. "If you tell me where the yellow mermaid is, I'll allow you to have a little family reunion," it hissed. "Don't you want to meet your sister?"  
  
My eyes widened. Noel was here after all? "Where's my sister? I know she's here, what have you done with her?" I tried my best to struggle in the tank, but my limbs refused to move. I guess my hopes of Noel escaping was just that, cheery hope instead of grim reality.  
  
The figure leaned away from my tank and made a disappointed 'tch' sound. "You haven't seen her, then." the figure said. Whoever it was spun around and turned to go. "If you had, then you would know your sister is gone." I gasped as the figure cackled under their veil. "Now, time for you to sleep, Mermaid Princess of the Antarctic Ocean."  
  
The sleepy effect I'd been fighting so long seemed to double in strength. I struggled to keep my eyes open, but it felt like anvils were weighing on my eyelids. I heard the click of heels retreating from my watery prison as my eyelids surrendered to the numbness of deep slumber.

* * *

It was not a peaceful sleep. Even in my dreams, I was unable to move. I went in and out of scenes, moving between flashes of nightmares at record speed. I'd see one country being destroyed, only to suddenly switch to seeing Sara sing her horrible song and the scene of Coco's defeat. It changed to the destruction of Noel's country, then the destruction of my own as I heard powerless purple mermaids screaming for the help I couldn't give.  
  
"She's far away in the Indian Ocean looking for her sister! Caren-sama can't help us!" I heard from a trapped mermaid, before the scene roughly changed to the destruction of yet another country. This one was green, and my heart sank as I knew exactly what I was about to be witness to. I saw my sister skimming along the ocean floor, holding hands with Rina as they fled the crumbling green walls of the North Atlantic. Gaito's ugly laugh interrupted my dream and a jet of water roughly hit everyone. Even I, in my coma state in the tank, could faintly feel it. Gaito's ugly laugh rang out again, and off in the distance I heard the faint sound of a rockslide.  
  
Suddenly, Noel turned around and stared directly at where I was. She frowned and touched her necklace, murmuring something unintelligible. Huh? The scene seemed to be progressing like I assumed it had, with the child shooting water jets towards Rina and Noel. However they... missed? The scene froze in front of me, except for Noel. She swam closer to where I was in my dream state.  
  
"Caren?" she said, quietly. "Where are you? I can tell you're here in this dream, and that you're in trouble somewhere... but I can't find you with my pearl."  
  
I tried to open my mouth to speak, but I couldn't. I was completely numb. How was this happening? I'd known we were connected more than the other princesses, since we were twins, but this was new. I'd only ever felt her emotions sometimes; I'd never been able to communicate with her in dreams before.  
  
She closed her eyes and screwed up her face, clearly trying to concentrate. I was struggling to be able to open my mouth and say something, anything, but it appeared I was completely paralyzed. After a few moments, she opened her eyes wide and suddenly grabbed my hands. The touch of her hands on mine sent icy shock throughout my system, and feeling suddenly returned to my fingertips.  
  
"Caren!" Noel said, letting go of my hands and wrapping me in a hug.  
  
"Noel," I said weakly, my mouth barely moving. The numbness was fading with whatever she had done, but it was still noticeable.  
  
She let go of me for a second, only to grab me by the shoulders. "Where are you?" she asked, eyes full of worry. "I can tell you're in danger, and I was so worried when-"  
  
"Caren!" I heard another voice say, albeit faintly. This one wasn't Noel's though, it's was-  
  
"Rina?" I gasped.  
  
Noel's eyes widened in surprise. "Rina? You're with Rina? Is she okay?" she blurted out. She looked even more worried now.  
  
I began, "No, I'm alone, but I've seen Rina, she's-"  
  
I heard a loud bang, like someone had fired a cannon near me. I shrieked and covered my ears.  
  
"Caren!" Noel said, her voice starting to fade. "You're fading away! Where are you? Where's Rina?" The rest of her was fading away as well.  
  
"I'm trapped, but don't come looking for me!" I cried. Her eyes widened.  
  
"Where are you?" she cried again.  
  
"Where are you?" I cried back. "They've been saying you're-"  
  
BANG!  
  
My eyes shot open in the tank. The first thing I saw was Rina's worried face distorted in the glass in front of me. What? What was she doing here? Those idiots, had they gone after me? I had no idea the passage of time down here, but I couldn't have been taken that long ago. Was Noel with them, maybe? If she was indeed that girl in the same seaside town, perhaps they'd stumbled into each other...  
  
"Caren! I'll get you out!" Rina yelled, upon seeing my eyes open. It appeared the numbing water was taking effect on me again, as my eyes grew heavy once again. I saw a shadow pass behind Rina, and used the last of my strength to scream, "Watch out!" before I passed back into numbing sleep.

* * *

I was sitting on the edge of the orange fountain of the Indian Ocean kingdom. I shot up, surprised I could still move. Maybe my mobility was limited to the dream world?  
  
I heard a giggle from behind me, and I turned around to see two mermaids sitting in the fountain. One was a young orange mermaid and the other was a yellow mermaid. The yellow mermaid had the shortest hair of any mermaid I'd ever seen. Her blonde hair stopped directly below her ears, rather than long and flowing like most mermaids. She reminded me a little bit of the human I'd seen on the surface, the one who'd said she'd find help.  
  
"Are you okay?" the yellow mermaid asked, eyes full of concern. "Noel is very worried about you, but Seira couldn't open the dream corridor for her again, so we came ourselves." Something about her voice was familiar, too. Perhaps the human I saw was actually her human form! That's how she would have recognized me, if she was a mermaid.  
  
"I'm fine, but... are you the yellow mermaid that weird figure was talking about?" I asked.  
  
"What figure?" the orange mermaid, presumably Seira, asked. The yellow mermaid said nothing, but I saw a flicker of something in her eyes. Sadness, perhaps?  
  
"A figure all in white approached me and asked if I knew where a 'yellow mermaid who stole treasure from Gaito' was," I said. "I haven't seen any other living yellow mermaids in seven years, so it must be you."  
  
"What makes you think I'm alive?" the yellow mermaid said, quietly.  
  
Seira gasped, "Coco, do you feel that?" I felt a pang in my heart, realizing who I was talking to. Something resonated in my heart, and despite my circumstances, I suddenly felt at peace. The orange fountain shined behind them, and Seira closed her eyes and began to quietly pray.  
  
Coco closed her eyes for a moment, before reopening them and smiling. "I can feel Aqua Regina's power resonating again, for the first time in years." She glanced at me and said, "Don't worry about your sister, she's okay. For now, you should-"  
  
CRACK!  
  
The unmistakeable sound of shattering glass rudely woke me once again from my slumber. I barely had time to process what was happening before I slumped out of my broken tank. Someone caught me before I hit the ground, and I looked up, squinting against the sudden appearance of bright light in the castle. It was Rina!  
  
"Where's Noel?" she said, gently shaking me. "We have to get her and leave!"  
  
"Wha-Rina? What? What's happening?" I asked. I felt dizzy for a moment, and leaned against her.  
  
"We broke into Gaito's castle and freed you!" Lucia said, brightly. "With the help of Aqua Regina, of course."  
  
"No thanks to you! You barely believed in her until we were all about to be captured!" Hanon said, indignant. Lucia laughed nervously but didn't deny the fact.  
  
"Anyways, where's Noel? We have to go before they recover from our song!" Rina said.  
  
"She's not here," I said, calmly. The three stared at me, shocked. "I'll explain on the way, but right now, let's get out of here."  
  
"Not without Noel we're not!" Rina cried.  
  
"She's not here! I think... somehow she escaped from them!" I said, turning to her. "I-I saw her in a dream! She asked where I was, then she wanted to know if you were okay, and then I got woken up by you banging on the tank."  
  
Rina stared at me, tears threatening her eyes again. "She's okay?" she asked.  
  
"I think so?" I responded. She suddenly wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tight. Ok, this was weird. I shot a questioning glance at Hanon, who shrugged back at me. A few moments passed. I could feel time slipping away, and so could the others.  
  
"Rina, it's time to go!" Hanon said finally, grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the hug. I grabbed her other hand, and the four of us started swimming. I was simply following the lead of the other three. I had no idea where the entrance was, but they seemed to know where they were going.  
  
"Here, I believe this is yours," Lucia said, handing me the Purple Pearl. I thanked her and held it in my hand for a second, admiring it. It was dull now; a shadow of the brilliance it had given off when I sacrificed myself to keep the other three safe. I quietly slipped it back into my necklace and took Lucia's hand once again. Together, the four of us sped towards what I assumed was the entrance.  
  
"So where is Noel?" Rina asked, as we had almost made it.  
  
"I don't know for sure," I admitted. "I have a guess on where she might be, but I'm not certain."  
  
"And where would that be?" Rina asked, a note of desperation in her voice. Why was she so desperate for news on Noel? Moreover, why was Noel so distraught about Rina as well? Maybe I was just too lonely to understand, but something seemed suspicious with those two.  
  
I opened my mouth to respond, but was drowned out by a shout from Gaito, who had suddenly reappeared! "So you think you're getting away, huh? And with all my pearls too? Not today! No more mermaids are escaping me again! Not after what I did to the Arctic mermaid!"  
  
Rina and I both froze. Fear rose in me when I realized I had seen Noel only in a dream, then a dead mermaid talking about her in yet another dream. It couldn't be- he couldn't have!  
  
"What?" we shrieked together. Both of us let go of Hanon and Lucia, stopped swimming and whirled around, ready to fight him. It was a trap, though! Gaito threw a lasso of rose vines at us! They were coming at us fast; too fast to be able to swim away from them. Rina muttered something too quiet for me to catch, then grabbed her necklace, still looking ready to fight. Was she going to sing? Or use her pearl to do something like I had? No, there was no way she could, she used her pearl's power too much! We'd just have to accept our fates.  
  
"No!" I heard, before we were violently shoved away. Rina and I flew backwards a bit, before we heard Hanon and Lucia scream. They had shoved us out of the way of his vine trap, but in the process, they had gotten caught! We sat up, slightly dazed, and Rina quickly realized what was happening.  
  
"Hanon! Lucia!" Rina screamed, her hand going to her necklace again. I doubted she'd be able to do anything; my pearl had only been able to save them because I'd barely used its power for years. For Rina, who regularly transformed to defeat Gaito's minions... there was no way. The others knew it too. My eyes met Hanon's, and she gave the tiniest shake of her head. 'Go,' she mouthed. Lucia glanced at me as well, eyes full of fear, but also determination. I gave them the slightest of nods, feeling a lump rise in my throat. I guess they were a little more mature than I gave them credit for. I grabbed Rina's wrist, stopping her dive towards them, and started to swim away from the castle. She screamed and tried to twist out of my grip, but I held tight and refused to let her go. Tears were pouring down her face as well as mine.  
  
"Let me go! I have to save them!" she cried.  
  
"How?" I cried back. "Two of us against Gaito, in his castle? We're both exhausted and probably have no power in our pearls! There's no way we can win!"  
  
"We can't just leave them there to be trapped like you were! Do you want anyone else to be stuck there?" she sobbed. "Let me use the power of the-"  
  
"You use your pearl constantly, and you're barely a year past your coming of age! There's no way you'd have enough power in your pearl to undo Gaito's magic! Besides, in case you didn't remember, if all four of us get captured it's game over! If... if Noel's out there, do we want to leave her on her own to fight all of Gaito and his minions?"  
  
"No, but... we still could have done something! Maybe not with my pearl, but I've been trying to say, I have the-" she began  
  
I cut her off. Hearing her talk like this was hurting my heart, and I barely knew Hanon and Lucia. "No, we couldn't have!" I screamed. "You know this!"  
  
Rina let out another sob, then was silent for the rest of our journey. I looked back a few times, only for her to hide her face. It was no use though, I could see the steady stream of tears coming from her eyes. It mirrored the ones coming from my own eyes. Once we breached the surface, I was relieved to see that we weren't too far from land. I asked Rina for directions to the town she'd been living in. She silently pointed, but a whole new wave of tears ran down her face. I silently put my arm around her in an attempt to comfort her like she had done for me. It didn't work; she just shoved me away and started swimming towards the town.  
  
Eventually, the lights of the coastal town came into view. Rina slowed down slightly and led me to a pink building on the shore. We washed up on the beach, staring up at the cloudy sky with watery eyes. The stars were gone tonight; it felt like an omen.  
  
"I'm going to get skinned alive by Nikora and Hippo," Rina sobbed. "I couldn't protect the princess of the last mermaid country left standing."  
  
"Hey, it's not your-" I began.  
  
Rina turned to face me again. "Caren, I have now seen four Mermaid Princesses sacrifice themselves so I could stay free. I'm sure if I had met Coco and Sara, it would be six. Th-this is partially my fault, but if you had just LET ME-" She broke down then, wailing into her hands.  
  
We'd dried off enough to transform into our human selves. I picked myself up and helped Rina up as well. She leaned on me, still crying, and I walked to the pink building. A sign out front said 'Petite Hotel Pearl Piari,' and I took a deep breath and knocked. After a few minutes, a woman with deep pink, almost purple hair opened the door.  
  
"Read the hours, people! We close at- Oh! Rina! You're back! But where's-" She began. I shook my head frantically before she could say their names, and she seemed to get my drift.  
  
"I lost them," Rina sniffled.  
  
"You what?" the woman said.  
  
"I. LOST. THEM." Rina cried. "I wasn't paying attention, and, and, I could have saved them, b-but Caren here," she shot what I assumed was supposed to be a look of anger, but was just the look of a broken woman, at me then continued, "d-decided to just drag me away and f-flee even though I-I could have used-"  
  
"For the last time, you couldn't have used your pearl! Stop suffering under that delusion!" I interrupted her, yelling. "It's not your fault! He's too powerful! There's no way either of us-"  
  
"I wasn't going to use MY pearl!" Rina yelled back. "I'm not dumb! I know I couldn't have! That's why I was going to use-" She fumbled with her necklace for a moment, opened it, and brandished something at me. "This one!" In her hand was the Yellow Pearl. A flood of guilt ran through me.  
  
The older woman in the doorway gasped, and so did I. She then seemed to realize that we were still standing outside, and suddenly shooed us in. The lights turned on with a click and I was greeted with the sights of a small hotel lobby. The woman continued walking into another room, Rina following close behind. I waited for a second, then figured I should probably follow them. We entered a medium-sized room with lots of tables, perhaps an on-site restaurant for the hotel? She stopped at a table and beckoned for us to sit, saying she'd be back in a little bit. We both sat down at the table and watched her walk away. Rina placed the Yellow Pearl in the center of the table and stared at it for a bit, then buried her face in her arms and started weeping again. I stared at the Yellow Pearl for a while, tears also rolling down my face. I had no idea how she got it, but she could have saved us with it. It all made sense why she kept grabbing her necklace now. I tried to mumble out an apology to Rina, but I had no idea if it was accepted or not.  
  
Eventually, the woman returned with a few others. I learned she was the fabled Nikora, that she was a North Pacific mermaid as well, and that she had been the advisor figure to Lucia. The other woman she'd brought with her was Madame Taki, the pearl oyster fairy of the North Pacific. There was also a talking penguin named Hippo, whose voice sounded strangely like that of the blonde man on the beach not that long ago. His appearance reminded me of my own dear Pipi, my pet penguin in the Antarctic. Thinking of her brought fresh tears to my eyes. I hoped she was okay, whereever she was.  
  
Nikora and the others asked us what had happened in Gaito's castle. Rina, between sobs, told the story: After I sacrificed myself to save them, Aqua Regina transformed my Purple Pearl into a harp for them to channel her power through. They stormed Gaito's castle looking for me and Noel, but clearly only finding me. They'd gotten separated after telling Gaito to eat dirt, and Rina had found the Yellow Pearl faintly glowing on 'the tackiest, most pretentious crown she'd ever seen.' Heeding my words from before, she covertly swiped it, then used its power to find where I was trapped. That's when she had awoken me from my first dream, only for me to be too late to warn her about Gaito sneaking up behind her. He'd taken her captive, and she'd only been freed when Lucia played the harp, summoning Aqua Regina and cracking open my tank. The rest was history.  
  
Nikora and the others were silently in tears at the end of the story as well. After she was done telling it, Rina stood up, proclaimed that she was going to bed and she hoped she never woke up, and stormed upstairs, still crying. We watched her go, Nikora murmuring that she would need time to heal from this. My heart hurt, but I knew I should rip off the bandage and tell them what we were up against now. I told them all I knew about Coco's death, Sara's betrayal, the fact that I didn't know where Noel was or if she was alive, but there was a girl in this town who could have been my twin, so perhaps that was her, and about the strange orange mermaid I'd seen with maybe-Noel.  
  
When I finished telling my story, the Yellow Pearl faintly gleamed in front of us. I wondered if Coco knew we'd taken her pearl back from Panthalassa. Maybe that's why she appeared to me, because her spirit was finally free. Nikora echoed those same thoughts of mine, and Hippo mentioned that perhaps the orange mermaid I'd seen with maybe-Noel was the orange mermaid I'd seen with Coco. Taki tried to find answers in her crystal ball, but alas, it was as cloudy as the skies above the hotel.  
  
"A sign to come," Nikora said, quietly. We turned to her. "The North Pacific has lost its princess and its pearl. Madame Taki, your powers may not work well from now on."  
  
"Eh, I'll just pick up human magic tricks," she said, trying to lift our spirits. Nikora mustered a faint smile, but Hippo and I remained gloomy.  
  
"We should warn the North Pacific," he said. "With Lucia gone, the possibility of attack is significantly higher."  
  
"I'd say it's almost inevitable," I said. Everyone turned to me, and I continued, "They attacked the Antarctic while I was out searching for signs of Panthalassa castle in the Indian Ocean. Without a princess or pearl to defend it, the North Pacific is a sitting duck."  
  
Nikora was silent for a moment, then said, "Perhaps we should return. You and Rina could defend it, if you're okay with that?"  
  
"We should find Noel-san first!" Hippo interjected. "Especially if she happens to be on land, in this very town!"  
  
"Yeah, I'm not going anywhere until I find out where my sister is," I said, quietly. Gaito's threat still loomed in the back of my mind, and I silently prayed that he had simply been lying in order to trap Rina & I.  
  
"There's also the matter of the Yellow Pearl and the South Pacific," Nikora said. "Now that the pearl is free from Gaito's castle, perhaps it will finally allow a new princess to be born. We'll have to go there for that." She turned to Madame Taki. "Why didn't you ever tell me that the South Pacific didn't have a princess? I've been thirteen for as long as she's been gone, you could have at least warned me there were only six princesses!"  
  
Taki was silent for a long while. "My crystal ball has always said there are seven princesses," she said, finally.  
  
"Your crystal ball is notoriously off," Nikora said, burying her face in her hands. "It doesn't matter now, though. We have two, maybe three princesses in this town, and a pearl which belongs to an unborn princess. We have more than Panthalassa even with the loss of Lucia and Hanon. As long as we warn the North Pacific in time, we should make it out fine."  
  
"I'll go find Momo-chan and tell him to warn the North Pacific," Hippo said, getting up and walking outside. Taki stood up as well, mumbling something about how her crystal ball acted up 7 years ago, and retreated to her room. Nikora and I were left in the room together. It was silent as we just simply stared at the Yellow Pearl on the table. It gleamed faintly and I felt a twinge of guilt for not trusting Rina.  
  
"I don't blame you," Nikora said, finally. "You couldn't have known she had stolen another pearl and intended to use its power to save Lucia and Hanon."  
  
I stared at the pearl. "Yeah, but is she going to think the same thing?"  
  
Nikora sighed. "Rina internalizes everything. She's going to put all the blame on herself, rather than you. Maybe with time, we'll be able to convince her that it's not her fault, but for now... she won't listen to us."  
  
"Would she listen to Noel?" I asked. "Something weird is going on between them. When I saw Noel in my dream, I mentioned Rina, and Noel because distraught over the idea of Rina being in trouble. Then, the exact same thing happened with Rina when I mentioned Noel being gone."  
  
Nikora frowned. "I don't know much about Rina and Noel's history. They're childhood friends, that I know for sure. There are rumors though..." Her voice trailed off.  
  
"Rumors of what?" I asked. This was getting weird. What the hell was going on between Rina and my sister?  
  
Nikora hesitated, then replied, "I don't think it's my place to say them. Ask Rina, or Noel if you find her." I stood up, intent on walking upstairs and asking Rina right then and there. Nikora realized and said, "No! Not now! When she's in a better mood!"  
  
"Is that going to happen?" I asked, dryly.  
  
"...Probably not," Nikora admitted, "But a better day will come. The new wound of losing her friends is very fresh, let it heal a bit before you rip open the older one."  
  
"Fine," I said, rolling my eyes. Nikora seemed placated by my answer. She handed me the Yellow Pearl, asking me to safekeep it. I obliged, putting it into my necklace with my own Purple Pearl.  
  
She then asked if I had a place to sleep tonight. When I responded with 'the ocean,' she scolded me, saying I couldn't be sleeping out there all alone now. She shooed me upstairs and showed me a room, saying it could be mine for as long as we were all on land. I was hesitant to take up her offer, as I'd never slept on land as a human, before Nikora pointed out the huge tub in the attached bathroom.  
  
"Big enough to comfortably sleep in!" she proclaimed. "Trust me, I know from experience." I was sold and agreed to stay until we found Noel, if she was indeed on land. Nikora seemed slightly happier then and wished me a good night before shutting the door behind her. I thought I heard the faint sounds of crying retreating down the hallway, but decided to never mention it. Nikora seemed like someone who valued her pride. Or perhaps it was Rina, haunting the hallways in her misery.  
  
I ran a bath and hopped in, immediately turning into a mermaid. All the exhaustion of the day hit me once I hit the warm water and I fell asleep almost instantly.

* * *

Weeks passed and Nikora and I had struck up a decent friendship. I learned she was slightly older than me, by about 3 years. Lucia's absence seemed to be hitting her hard, as some days we'd be talking and then she'd suddenly look away, eyes glassy. I never said anything during these times and I could tell she appreciated my silence. At least on land, we were all okay.  
  
I couldn't say the same thing about the North Pacific. Or rather, the ruins of the North Pacific. The day we'd returned from Gaito's castle, Hippo had immediately sent Momo-chan the dolphin to warn the country about an inevitable attack. Momo-chan had been too late, though, and had arrived just as the palace was demolished by one of Gaito's huge deep sea fish. Gaito had been riding on top, holding the Pink Pearl as he destroyed the very country it was supposed to protect. I wondered if Lucia could tell what was happening; if she knew.  
  
"We're all that's left," Nikora had said after receiving the grim news. I didn't see her, Taki, or Hippo for a few days afterwards. Mourning their country and princess together, I supposed. I wasn't sure if anyone had told Rina; I hadn't seen her since the day we returned. I suspected she knew, as the night we found out, I could hear loud sobs from her room.  
  
I'd walked around town a bit, trying to locate any of the three girls I'd seen before, but with no luck. Maybe-Noel, the blonde girl, and the orange mermaid's human form were nowhere to be found. Sometimes I thought about jumping into the ocean to look for Noel and the orange mermaid, but I stopped myself every time. Look what had happened last time I recklessly jumped into the ocean.  
  
There was still no major reactions from the Yellow Pearl. Nikora and I both found this odd, as enough time had passed that the pearl should be ready for another South Pacific princess.  
  
"Perhaps Gaito did something to it, to prevent another princess from being born," she mused one day. I hoped not. Sure, we could call on the pearl's power ourselves, but without a Yellow Pearl Voice to contribute to the seven voices, we'd never win.  
  
"Could we get an ordinary mermaid to wield its power, if it won't let another princess be born?" I asked.  
  
"They wouldn't be able to transform into Yellow Pearl Voice," Nikora said, answering my question. "Even if it was a yellow mermaid."  
  
"So, what, we're doomed?" I laid my head on the table.  
  
"Have you had any more dreams with Coco in them?" Nikora asked. "Perhaps you could ask her."  
  
I shook my head. "I don't even know how I managed to see her, Seira, and Noel that one time. They did something, it seems." I paused. "Although... maybe if I go into a deep enough sleep... maybe I'd be able to see them again?"  
  
"How do you plan on doing that?" Nikora asked.  
  
"No idea," I said, hitting my head on the table. And thus, we were at a standstill for ideas once again.  
  
Later, I sat by myself in the kitchen, reading a newspaper and eating melon pudding. I was looking for any kind of potential mermaid sightings, but it looked like there was nothing. A knock sounded at the door. I waited for a moment, then when it appeared no one else was going to get it, I went to answer it. A man with dark brown hair stood in front of me. I recognized him as Tarou, the man with the house on the beach.  
  
"Hello, can I do something for you?" I asked. He stared at me, looking shocked for a split second.  
  
"You're the spitting image of a girl I saw on the way here," he said, sounding shocked. Huh? Was maybe-Noel back? He shook his head and then continued, "Pardon me. I came here to ask if Hosho-san, Nanami-san, and Toin-san are doing okay. They've been gone so long from school; people are starting to worry. Doumoto-san in particular is beside himself; apparently he and Nanami-san had a huge fight when he last saw her."  
  
I stared at him. I had no idea what to say. "Oh, Lucia and Hanon are trapped at the bottom of the ocean by an evil maniac and Rina has extreme survivor's guilt and is deeply depressed and is probably crying her eyes out as we speak." Yeah, that would go over well. I summoned the cheeriest smile I could put on and responded with, "Yes, unfortunately the three of them have been very sick. We sent them home to be with the rest of their families, as we didn't know how the disease would progress. Rina will be back soon, as she's on the upswing, but the others...." My voice trailed off.  
  
Tarou seemed to get my drift. "Goodness, I didn't know," he said, quietly. He reached into his pocket and gave something to me. "I was planning on giving these to the three, as they've always attended my concerts, but perhaps you can have them instead."  
  
"Thank you," I said quietly, looking at the tickets. Maybe I could convince Rina to go, music was always good for the soul. "I'll make sure to be there."  
  
"Thank you," Tarou said. He smiled and said, "Perhaps you'll meet your twin there as well. I gave her and her friends tickets today."  
  
"Yes, perhaps," I said. He said a farewell and walked away from the hotel. My mind was spinning. A chance to see if that girl was really Noel? It seemed too good to be true. There had to be a way to know if it was really her... Rina!  
  
I spun around, shutting the door behind me. I went to the kitchen, only to see Rina sitting at the table I'd been at, finishing the leftovers of my melon pudding. She froze when I walked in, spoon halfway to her mouth. We stared at each other for a moment. Rina was a mess, with puffy eyes and unkempt hair. Her pajamas smelled a bit; she probably never changed out of them. Gross.  
  
"You look like a mess, so I'll take pity on you eating my melon pudding," I said. "In return, though, I need information from you."  
  
Rina stared at me for a moment, then finally said, "What?" in a raspy voice.  
  
"What does Noel's human form look like?" I asked. Rina visibly flinched and immediately looked down at the table.  
  
"Like you but dark blue instead of purple," she mumbled, barely audible. I felt my heart skip a beat. I crossed the room and grabbed Rina's shoulders.  
  
"Rina, I think she's here! And she's going to that man, Tarou's, concert that he just gave me tickets for!"  
  
Rina stared at me in shock. The spoon she was holding clattered onto the plate as she brought her hand to her mouth.  
  
"She's here?" Rina said, tears welling up in her eyes.  
  
"I think so, if it's the same girl I've seen before-"  
  
"You've seen her?!" Rina blurted out.  
  
"Well, maybe. I don't know if it was her, but I saw a girl that could have been my twin, but dark blue, on that day where I got captured- Hey! What are you-"  
  
Rina grabbed my hand and started running upstairs. I followed, not that I had much of a choice. She dragged me into what I assumed was her room before letting go of me and starting to rummage through some drawers.  
  
"You okay, Rina?" I asked.  
  
"It's here somewhere," she mumbled, completely ignoring me. Rude. Then, I heard an 'aha!' and she triumphantly pulled a photograph out of the drawer. She slammed it down on the desk in the room and beckoned for me to look at it. I took a quick glance and my heart nearly stopped. The photo was of Rina, in her human form, with maybe-Noel!  
  
"Is that-" I began.  
  
"That's Noel," Rina said, a note of hope in her voice. "Is-"  
  
"It's her," I said. "It's the same girl I saw before."  
  
More tears welled up in Rina's eyes. "So she is okay after all," she said.  
  
I took a deep breath. Now was the time. "So, Rina, why do you and Noel seem to act so weird about the other? She was weird when I mentioned you, and now you're weird when I mention her. What's up with that?"  
  
Rina's eyes widened and she looked suprised. A slight blush formed on her cheeks, and she began, "Well, Caren, it's kind of complicated, but Noel and I, we're-"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> will forever be mad that the anime completely cut out the friendship that caren had with the main trio in favor of her acting like an absolute bitch.


	6. Return to the Sea - Coco

"You and Rina are dating?" I blurted out, stunned. Noel, her cheeks a bright crimson, nodded. I'd been asking for months why she was so desperate to find Rina, with her dodging the question every time. I'd had my suspicions, but hadn't wanted to directly confront her. That job had fallen to Seira, it appeared, who'd point-blank asked if Rina was Noel's girlfriend.  
  
"Aw, that's so cute!" she said, sitting next to me. "Two mermaids princesses, in love? There's no greater bond! I bet your songs are about each other!"   
  
Noel turned an even deeper red. "First of all, we haven't been dating that long!" she said. "And anyways, I don't... exactly have my own song, and last I saw Rina, she had barely turned 13 so she didn't have one either."  
  
Seira tilted her head. "Why don't you have one? They're not that hard to make."  
  
"Easy for you to say!" Noel and I said, in unison. We glanced at each other for a moment. She huffed and put her hands on her hips. "Seira, you're not even a princess! How would you know?"  
  
She shrugged. "I just think singing is neat, and I like singing my own songs."  
  
"Can't argue with that," Noel said, leaning back. "I wish I had the creativity to make my own."  
  
"You have an inspiration," Seira said. "You might as well try."  
  
"She's got a point," I added. "Our songs are about love. You're blushing the more you talk about Rina, so you clearly love her. Not to mention, you have a sister who I'm sure you care about too." A faint shadow of sadness crossed Noel's face. I could tell she cared deeply about both Caren and Rina and hoped that they were okay.  
  
The sadness quickly faded from her eyes, and she said, "Hm, if gaining a romantic partner means you gain the ability to make your own song, then we need to get you a man, Coco!" A gleam of mischief started in her eye.  
  
I scrunched up my nose. "No thanks," I said. "Mermaids only for me." The image of a certain mermaid popped into my head, but I immediately pushed it down. Now wasn't the time to think about her.  
  
"Oh? Is there a certain mermaid you like?" Noel's voice took on a teasing tone. Seira glanced at me, a look of something I couldn't quite read in her eyes.   
  
"No," I scoffed, "Of course not! I've been away from the mermaid world for going on 8 years!"  
  
Noel smirked conspiratorily and leaned towards Seira. She stage-whispered, "Who is it, Seira? Is it another yellow mermaid, or a forbidden romance from another country?" Seira giggled, and Noel continued, "I'll buy you ice cream next time we go into a city if you tell me."  
  
"Don't bribe her with ice cream! Like I said, I'm not in love with anyone!" I said, outraged.  
  
"Hm, I think you're right, Noel," Seira said, a gleam in her eye. "I think Coco does have a long-lost love." My shoulders tensed up a bit, wondering how she knew. Perhaps she could simply tell my feelings? Or was she feeling... someone else's feelings? My heart pounded in my chest.  
  
After a few moments of silence, Seira shrugged. "I don't know who it is, though. We should reunite them though, when this is all over." Noel seemed slightly deflated over not finding out the juicy gossip, but quickly got distracted by Seira asking her for details on 'all the cute dates she and Rina had gone on!' Noel, lighting up like a Christmas tree, immediately launched into a story of how she had snuck Rina to the surface before the age of 13 just so they could have a snowball fight. I listened politely to her story for a bit, then excused myself and went outside.  
  
I leaned on the railing, gazing out at the vast ocean before me. The waves were choppy; the mark of a destroyed mermaid country. It came as no surprise to me, after all, we were above my home of the South Pacific. I wondered what it looked like down there, far below our boat. Part of me wanted to jump in and see, but I knew what I'd see: a maze of ruins rotting away on the ocean floor. Just like the Antarctic, as we'd learned the hard way when Noel insisted we go make sure her sister was okay. The country had been completely destroyed, with several booby traps set up in the palace. Seira pointed out later that Caren might have gotten away and that's why the booby traps were there, but Noel had been in anguish nearly the whole day.  
  
I pitied Noel a little. The poor girl had to deal with the uncertainty of not knowing where her lover and her sister were. We'd slowly been making our way to Japan, but it was pretty difficult with the stormy seas lately. Our detour to the Antarctic hadn't helped; it had taken a severe toll on Noel. Seira had tried to cheer her up, saying she had a feeling Caren was okay, but Noel was clearly hurting.   
  
A wave splashed against the side of the boat and I got a faceful of water. I shrieked as the water hit my necklace and my legs transformed into a tail, causing me to immediately fall onto the deck. Noel came running out immediately and saw me. Without a word, she went back inside, grabbed a towel, and gave it to me to dry off. I murmured a quiet thanks and quickly dried off enough to return to my human form. She helped me up and we both leaned against the railing, staring out at the ocean. At one point, Seira must have started the boat, because we started moving, heading north. Away from my former home.  
  
"Does the pain of losing your home ever go away?" Noel said, finally.   
  
I stared out at the waves of the South Pacific receding away from us. The waves seemed to be ever-so-slowly calming as we headed north. The North Pacific must really be the only country left. "No," I said, finally. "But you have fellow princesses to support you."   
  
Noel was quiet for a while, then said, "We're all here for you too, Coco. If Caren, Rina, and the princess of the South Atlantic are indeed all in Japan, all we'll need to do is join up in the North Pacific, and that's six pearls!" She hesitated, then continued, "I'm... not quite sure what to do about Sara," I flinched at her name, "but I'm sure with six of us, we can figure out something."  
  
In my heart, I knew we'd have no trouble defeating Gaito. Sure, I'd have to get the Yellow Pearl back, and Seira would have to figure out how to be Orange Pearl Voice, but there were seven of us. My only worry was Sara. Even without the power of the Orange Pearl, she still seemed to be powerful. Whether her powers came from Panthalassa or from her emotions, she was still a force to be reckoned with. Not to mention, I hadn't seen her in the flesh in nearly eight years. I'd seen her in my dreams and nightmares, of course, but that wasn't... her. That wasn't the Sara I'd grown up with, the strong orange mermaid who'd had a lot pushed on her from birth but shouldered it all with a smile, the orange mermaid who'd always made me laugh in the worst times, the one who'd always been there for me... until eight years ago. Until she'd turned dark, threatened me, then contributed to the destruction of the South Pacific, accidentally caused my death, then laid me to rest in her own country. Where Seira had revived me with the power of the Orange Pearl. I wondered if that really had been Seira's power who revived me, or the last few remnants of Sara's. Perhaps she felt guilt over what happened.  
  
Eventually, I became aware of the fact Noel had her arm around me, and that I was crying. My tears were dropping into the ocean below. Perhaps they were falling all the way to the ruined South Pacific on the ocean floor. I was scared to admit my thoughts out loud; my feelings about Sara. I knew if it came down to it, I wouldn't be able to fight her.   
  
"It'll be okay," she said, softly. "We'll defeat Panthalassa and have seven princesses and seven countries again."

* * *

Our stay in Japan was incredibly short. Upon our arrival, Noel, Seira, and I had immediately embarked on a mission to find other princesses. After a day of searching on my own, I'd seen Caren floundering in the water, seemingly in trouble. I tried to grab her and pull her to safety on dry land, but she had been too far out for me to reach without me falling in and transforming as well. I ran away, promising her that I'd find help. However, by the time I returned with Noel and Seira, she was gone. The three of us searched the ocean for a few days, but there was no sign of her or any other mermaids. Noel, as Caren's twin, tried to communicate with her through her dreams, and was partially successful. It was quickly broken up, though. Seira and I tried combining our powers to speak to her as well, but only got a few moments before we felt the power of Aqua Regina resound through the dream corridor and we all woke up. One of the other four princesses must have summoned her.   
  
A few days later, while still in Japan, we noticed a pink seashell earring that had washed up on the beach. It was definitely one of a North Pacific mermaid, and we figured we should go pay a visit to Lucia. That night, we left the docks in Japan, cruising out to the middle of the North Pacific. We seemed to be battling heavy winds and strong waves; a typhoon must have been coming in. The anchor was dropped not far from the North Pacific palace, and we all dove in.   
  
"Aaah, I've missed being a mermaid," Noel said, stretching her tail.   
  
"Agreed. Legs are overrated," I said. My hair drifted in front of my face and I frowned. "Not a fan of my hair always in my face, though."  
  
"I'll cut it again!" Seira said, brightly.  
  
"No! Don't come near my hair!" I swatted her hand away from it. It had barely begun to grow again after Seira and I had to destroy it that one day. It was half the length it should have been. It made me sad; a mermaid's long hair was usually her pride and joy.  
  
The three of us swam just below the surface, taking in the sights of the North Pacific. The flora and fauna here were strikingly similar to home, which sent another wave of homesickness through me. It made sense that the North Pacific and South Pacific would be similar, but it didn't stop it from hurting.  
  
We were almost in view of the castle when the Indigo Pearl suddenly started to glow. Noel stopped in her tracks, Seira and I followed suit.  
  
"What's wrong?" I asked.   
  
"Something's wrong," she said, worriedly. "I can feel the power of the Pink Pearl being used, but..."  
  
"It's like it's being used for evil," Seira echoed. Noel glanced at her, confused as to how she could know, then seemed to shrug it off.   
  
"Yes, it's definitely a feeling of evil," Noel said. "We should stay out of sight if we want to find out what's going on." She turned and dove down towards the ocean floor, with Seira and I following. We ducked behind coral reefs, rock formations, and shipwrecks until we were close enough to see the North Pacific palace. Or rather, what was once the North Pacific palace. A pink haze surrounded the area, and I saw a deep sea giant fish attacking the buildings that were left. I couldn't even see any pink mermaids left; they must have been captured already.  
  
"No," Noel whispered softly. "The last country... It's gone." Seira silently stared at the scene with tears in her eyes. I felt sadness bring tears to my eyes as well, but also felt white hot anger boiling in my stomach. I spotted the culprit of the destruction, Gaito. He was riding on top of the giant fish, holding the Pink Pearl and smirking.  
  
"He's using the pearl to destroy the very country it's supposed to protect," I said, fists clenching at my side. I wanted to wipe that smirk off his face.   
  
"Coco, don't do anything rash," Seira said, perhaps detecting my emotions. "There's only two pearls here, and neither of them are yours."  
  
"Yeah? Maybe I'll go fistfight him for the Pink Pearl then and make it three. Lucia won't mind if I borrow her pearl, probably." I retorted, getting ready to swim towards him.  
  
A look of confusion crossed Noel's face. "Two?" she said questioningly. "How are there two?" Seira froze. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights. I opened my mouth, but realized lying to Noel probably wasn't the best bet, and closed my mouth without saying a word. Noel glanced at Seira and said, softly, "Seira, what are you?"  
  
Seira glanced at me, sheepishly. I put my head in my hands and said, "She's the 8 year old princess of the Indian Ocean, holder of the Orange Pearl. S-Sara's successor." Her name stung on my tongue.   
  
Noel blinked a couple times, processing. "Well, I'm sure there's a very logical reason you didn't tell me, Coco," she said, slowly. I detected a hint of annoyance in her voice and figured I'd pay for this later. "And you can explain later. Can you transform, Seira?"  
  
"Uh.... no," Seira said. "I haven't been able to use my power ever since I revived Coco. And even then, I don't know if that was really my power. It might have been..." Her voice trailed off. I knew what she meant, though. It might have been Sara's last act as a Mermaid Princess, saving me.   
  
"Right. Okay. So, fighting Gaito is probably not a good idea if I'm the only one who can transform," Noel said.   
  
Strangely enough, her words ignited something in me. "And what, leave him here to destroy the last beacon of hope?" I cried.   
  
"It's already pretty much destroyed," Noel cried back. "Look around, Coco! It looks just like our countries!"   
  
I knew she was right, but it just didn't feel right to let him parade around like this. I glared out at him from our hiding spot. The fear I'd felt over having to face him was still there, but was very much overpowered by a desire to wipe that stupid smirk off his face. I wanted to knock him out and save the Pink Pearl from him. I'd never gotten along well with Lucia back before everything went bad, but I knew she'd be heartbroken to see her country destroyed like this with her pearl. Rage and hatred boiled in my heart towards Gaito. I was a Mermaid Princess, I knew I shouldn't be having these feelings, but enough was enough. He'd taken Sara and my country away from me, and the countries away from all my fellow princesses. A song started to form in my mind; a song of anger, sadness, and hatred. It wasn't my own, but it would have to do.   
  
"Coco, don't-" Seira began, sensing the distress I was in. I ignored her, grabbing her orange necklace, yanking it off her neck, and putting it around my own. She gasped as I swam up, away from our hiding spot. The Orange Pearl began to glow, surrounding me in an orange Live Stage. Somehow, the pearl transformed me as well. I wasn't Yellow Pearl Voice or Orange Pearl Voice, rather, my clothes seemed like a mix of the two. My hair had transformed as well, becoming long. While it remained yellow, there were orange streaks in it. It caught the attention of Gaito, who glanced towards me. A look of surprise crossed his face as I began to sing lyrics I'd only heard in my near-death state 8 years prior:   
  
_Otogibanashi saigo no PAGE wa_  
_Kakikaerarete higeki ni kawari_  
_Tatta hitotsu shinjiteta_  
_Hito no kokoro sae mo miushinau_  
_Ai mo yume mo marude_  
_Suna no oshiro mitai na no_  
_Hakanaku kowarete yuku no yo_  
_Sore o nozomanakutatte_  
  
As I sang, the orange light around me seemed to be changing. It seemed to be getting darker, somehow. Another blue light suddenly came from Gaito's hand. The Aquamarine Pearl! He must have captured the South Atlantic princess after all! I focused on the two pearls in his hands, intent on taking them back at any cost. My song grew louder, and my Live Stage shot dark beams at Gaito.  
  
_Dakedo ima mo wasurerarenai no_  
_Anata ga itsumo utatta MELODY_  
_Mune ni hibiku tabi itsuka_  
_Modoreru ki ga suru no ano koro ni_  
_Kitto kitto kaereru no_  
_Tsunagareta kusari furiharai_  
_Futatsu no sekai ga_  
_Musubareta aoi umi e_  
  
The smirk was gone from his face. The two pearls in his hand glowed, and the dark beams I had sent at him dissipated in their light. No matter, I could send more at him until the pearls couldn't stop them anymore.   
  
_Zettai!_  
_Ai dake wa subete o norikoeru_  
_Unmei kimeru seiza mo kaerareru_  
_Kiete shimae okubyou na uso mo ima mo..._  
  
I glared at him, eyes full of hatred as my Live Stage prepared one more final attack. He stared back, perhaps trying to figure out who I was. Well, he'd know real soon. I was the Mermaid Princess he'd tried to have killed all those years ago, finally here for my revenge. A smirk crossed his face once more for a fleeting second, and then he vanished before my attack could hit him. I screamed in anger, ready to send the beams towards where he had been.  
  
"No! Coco!" I heard, before someone ripped the necklace off my neck. Something crashed into me, disrupting the Live Stage. As I transformed back into a mermaid, I suddenly felt exhausted. I briefly saw the faces of Noel and Seira, both of them looking horrified, before the world went completely black.

* * *

_I was in the great fountain of the South Pacific. The scene surrounding me was a stark contrast to how I remembered my home looking. Algae-stained crumbling walls surrounded me, and the fountain was barely a trickle. The once-bright golden hues had dulled to what seemed like a muddy brown. My country was truly in ruins. I turned to look at myself in the ruined fountain, and screamed in horror._  
  
_My tail was no longer a bright golden yellow. Huge splotches of black dotted it, and what was left of my yellow coloring had been significantly dulled. My bra, earrings, and bracelets were all dyed black as well. The only truly yellow things left on me were my eyes and my own winged shell necklace. I felt sick as I realized my hair had finally grown as well, but was stained a jet black, just like-_  
  
_"The power of hatred sure is powerful, isn't it, yellow mermaid-sama?" I heard from behind me. My heart nearly stopped. Sara. I swallowed my fear and turned to face her. She'd grown since I last saw her, and now took the form of a human. Her hair was still the same jet black it had been all those years ago. The same color as mine now._  
  
_"What- I don't want this!" I cried. "How do I undo this?" She smirked and walked towards me. I wanted to flee, but remained stationary. She was my childhood friend... she had to realize that! She wouldn't hurt me again! Sara leaned in close to me and tilted my head up, staring into my eyes._  
  
_"Yellow mermaid-sama, you have sang my song of hatred. Aqua Regina doesn't like mermaids to sing of feelings other than love and courage, so she has taken away your coloring," she said, a lilt in your voice. My eyes filled with tears. She continued, "Do not worry. I will take you in and show you the powers that hatred can truly bring you."_  
  
_"No! I'm not joining you! My only hatred is towards Gaito, and Panthalassa! They- they took everything from me! Including-" I stopped short of saying 'you.' She clearly didn't know it was me, and I was too scared. How would she react upon finding out the cursed mermaid in front of her was her long-believed-dead childhood friend?_  
  
_She tilted her head and laughed. It filled me with dread. She put her hands on my shoulders and spun me around so that I was looking at my reflection in the fountain. Tears pooled in my eyes; the last golden yellow part of me._  
  
_"Look at us," she hissed. "No mermaid would accept us, once we've been stained dark with hatred. It's better off to be at the bottom of the sea, working to undo their oh-so-wonderful world of light. No living mermaid would find the capacity to love a cursed mermaid." I stared at her orange eyes in the fountain. It was the only thing that remained of the Sara I knew. I missed her so horribly._  
  
_"You're wrong," I said, my voice ringing out. I shoved her hands off my shoulders and turned to face her. "My friends care about me. They'll accept what I've become."_  
  
_Sara cackled, "The Arctic princess? And the mermaid of my former country? They allowed you to succumb to hatred! Why would they care about you?" She grabbed both my wrists and dragged me close to her. I tried to escape her grip, but it was no use. "They believe in love and hope, and they'll try to cure you of course. But, it can't be done, and when they realize that, they'll leave you to rot!" She laughed again. I struggled against her grip, but she had her hands tightly closed around my wrists. No escape for me this time._  
  
_"I care about you, Sara!" I cried, desperately. I had to tell her, who I was and that she wasn't a princess. "Everyone still cares about you, Sara! Even-" I took a deep breath, "Even your successor to the Indian Ocean throne!"_  
  
_Shock flashed across her face. "What?" she said, voice adopting an icy tone._  
  
_"You're not the Mermaid Princess of the Indian Ocean anymore! You've been free of those responsibilities for years! So please, just listen to us, and-"_  
  
_"How would you know this?" Sara thundered. I felt the ground shaking below us and whimpered in fear. Her eyes widened as she realized, "It's that orange mermaid you were with, isn't it?!"_  
  
_"Yes, her name is Seira! But she truly cares about you too, she can feel your pain and suffering and hopes you can recover one day," I said. Sara stared at me, unreadable emotions swimming in her eyes. I didn't know if Aqua Regina could hear me, but I silently prayed that I could get through to Sara._  
  
_"It's too late," Sara said, finally. "The only one who could have loved me, who I loved, is gone." She let go of my wrists suddenly and began to walk away. As I was shaking my hands, trying to regain feeling in them, she paused for a moment and said, "Fare thee well, yellow mermaid-sama," and vanished into the darkness surrounding the South Pacific. My heart sank. She hadn't recognized me after all._

* * *

I awoke with a pounding headache and sense of dread in my heart. My palms were sweaty and my stomach felt like I'd eaten a batch of bad clams the night before. I shot up and immediately felt sick. Seira, who was nearby, watched me turn visibly green and silently handed me a bucket. I cried and emptied the contents of my stomach into the bucket. Once I was done vomiting, I noticed Noel glaring at me. I sniffled and wiped my eyes, and then she laid into me.   
  
I'd never seen Noel angry before. It was a terrifying experience. She yelled at me for putting them in danger, for not telling her the truth about Seira, for trying to settle the score with Gaito with a pearl that wasn't even my own, and lastly, for 'managing to curse yourself with hatred in the process!' I barely was able to process the last point before she roughly grabbed me and shoved me in front of a mirror. I burst into tears upon seeing my reflection. My appearance change seemed to be real, and was even reflected in my human form. My hair, once a light blonde, was now streaked with lines of jet black. At least it wasn't all the way stained, I figured.  
  
Noel then dragged me outside and unceremoniously shoved me into the water. There, I transformed, and my mermaid form looked exactly like I had in my dream. Noel yelled at me some more about letting hatred into my heart, then said that she and Seira were barely able to stop me before I fully lost all my yellow coloring. Seira helped me back on deck & helped me dry off, all the while Noel continued to lecture me about how this might be permanent, she didn't know a way to undo it, the libraries of all the countries were most certainly destroyed or inaccessible, and the only ones who would know were the pearl oyster fairies, and all of them were gone now!   
  
I stood there and listened to her, silently crying the whole time. By the time she finished, she was in tears as well. I quietly acknowledged that I had indeed brought this upon myself, and that I would shoulder the consequences. Seira asked if maybe her and Noel could sing to turn me back to myself; we all figured it was worth a shot. Noel transformed into Indigo Pearl Voice and began to sing Legend of Mermaid. Seira tried to transform as well, with no luck. She started to sing in her human form instead. I joined in, and our three voices echoed across the water. Unfortunately, the jet black stains remained on both my human form and mermaid form. I turned away from the two of them and went to my bed, silently crying for everything I'd lost. It truly felt like I'd lost everything, now.   
  
"We should go back to Japan," Seira said later, after our failed attempt at removing the curse.  
  
"Why?" I asked, sullenly. There was likely nothing in the human world that could turn me back into what I once was. Hair dye could help in my human form, I suppose, but it would never be permanent.   
  
"Well, for one, we did see Caren there. Maybe she reappeared while we were gone," Seira said.  
  
"You're right," Noel said, thoughtfully. "Gaito had the Pink and Aquamarine Pearls with him, but I never saw the Purple Pearl."  
  
"He didn't have mine with him either, and yet it's at his castle," I reminded her. "And didn't Caren say in your dream she was trapped somewhere?"  
  
"That doesn't mean she's necessarily trapped in his castle!" Noel cried.   
  
"Where else is there to be trapped?" I shot back. Noel said nothing and looked away from me.   
  
Seira looked back and forth between us. She looked unsure of what to say. Finally, she began, "Um, also, another thing in Japan... there's a name that seems strangely familiar that I saw."  
  
"What do you mean, familiar?" I asked.  
  
She shrugged. "I can't explain it, but I felt like I've seen it before. The name makes me feel... both happy and sad at the same time. But I swear I've never heard it before!"  
  
Noel frowned. "It could be memories left over from a previous Indian Ocean princess. Sometimes I get strange flashbacks to things I'm sure that I've never experienced."  
  
Seira looked worried. "Do you think it's from Sara?" she asked, quietly.   
  
"Not necessarily, but the chances of it being from her are more likely, since she's your direct predecessor," I said. "What's the name that seems familiar?" My throat felt parched; I took a sip of water as she thought for a moment.  
  
"Tarou Mitsuki," she said, finally.   
  
My eyes widened and water went up my nose. I choked on the water for a few moments, before managing to gasp out, "Tarou?? Seira, you little- You know exactly who Tarou is!"  
  
Seira's eyes widened. "Ohhhhh, THAT Tarou?" she said. "I didn't know his last name!"  
  
"Are we talking about the same Tarou who left Sara at the insistence of her attendant, which caused this whole mess?" Noel asked. "If I'm remembering correctly, of course."  
  
"Yeah, we are," I said, grimly. "He's in Japan now?"  
  
Seira shrugged. "There was a concert advertised for him in a few weeks. He was supposed to be playing something called 'Memories of the Mermaid Sea' on the piano." I groaned internally. It was definitely him.  
  
"We should go to that concert," I said. "I wonder if Sara has tried to contact him at all since... everything." Probably not, but it never hurt to check.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was struggling a bit at first with this chapter before I came up with the idea of her almost following down Sara's path. I wish Coco had her own song :/ the anime really did her & Noel dirty by not giving them image songs.


End file.
